0
    • Elementary Secondary Higher Ed Common Reads
    0 0
    Download high-resolution image

    Dark Tide

    The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919

    Author Stephen Puleo
    Ebook
    Beacon Press
    On sale Nov 10, 2010 | 280 Pages | 9780807096673
    Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies

    See Additional Formats
    Around noon on January 15, 1919, a group of firefighters was playing cards in Boston's North End when they heard a tremendous crash. It was like roaring surf, one of them said later. Like a runaway two-horse team smashing through a fence, said another. A third firefighter jumped up from his chair to look out a window-"Oh my God!" he shouted to the other men, "Run!"

    A 50-foot-tall steel tank filled with 2.3 million gallons of molasses had just collapsed on Boston's waterfront, disgorging its contents as a 15-foot-high wave of molasses that at its outset traveled at 35 miles an hour. It demolished wooden homes, even the brick fire station. The number of dead wasn't known for days. It would be years before a landmark court battle determined who was responsible for the disaster.
    Author’s Note

    Prologue: Isaac’s Demons

    Part One: A Monster in Our Midst

    1. Deadline on the Waterfront
    2. Neighborhood Weeping
    3. Along the Gulf Stream
    4. War and Anarchy
    5. Heavy Load

    Part Two: Waves of Terror

    6. Before . . .
    7. Engulfed!
    8. “I Am Prepared to Meet my God”
    9. Darkening Skies

    Part Three: David vs. Goliath

    10. “One of the Worst Catastrophes”
    11. Factor of Safety
    12. “A Sordid Story”

    Epilogue
    List of Deceased
    Bibliographic Essay
    Acknowledgments
    Index
    Afterword to the Anniversary Edition
    Stephen Puleo is the author of several books including the Boston Globe bestseller The Boston Italians and the critically acclaimed Boston-area bestseller Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919. A former award-winning newspaper reporter and contributor to American History magazine, he holds a master’s degree in history and teaches at Suffolk University. He and his wife, Kate, live in the Boston area. Find him online at www.stephenpuleo.com. View titles by Stephen Puleo
    "The definitive account of America's most fascinating and surreal disaster."
    —John Marr, San Francisco Bay Guardian

    "Narrated with gusto . . . [Puleo's] enthusiasm for a little-known catastrophe is infectious." 
    —The New Yorker

    "Compelling . . . Puleo has done justice to a gripping historical story." 
    —Ralph Ranalli, Boston Globe

    "Thoroughly researched . . . weaves together the stories of the people and families affected by the disaster, with often heartbreaking glimpses of their fates . . . The cleanup lasted months, the lawsuits years, the fearful memories a lifetime."
    —Randolph E. Schmid, Associated Press

    "Giving a human face to tragedy is part of the brilliance of Stephen Puleo's Dark Tide . . . Until they were given voice in this book, the characters who drove the story were forgotten." 
    —Caroline Leavitt, Boston Sunday Globe

    About

    Around noon on January 15, 1919, a group of firefighters was playing cards in Boston's North End when they heard a tremendous crash. It was like roaring surf, one of them said later. Like a runaway two-horse team smashing through a fence, said another. A third firefighter jumped up from his chair to look out a window-"Oh my God!" he shouted to the other men, "Run!"

    A 50-foot-tall steel tank filled with 2.3 million gallons of molasses had just collapsed on Boston's waterfront, disgorging its contents as a 15-foot-high wave of molasses that at its outset traveled at 35 miles an hour. It demolished wooden homes, even the brick fire station. The number of dead wasn't known for days. It would be years before a landmark court battle determined who was responsible for the disaster.

    Table of Contents

    Author’s Note

    Prologue: Isaac’s Demons

    Part One: A Monster in Our Midst

    1. Deadline on the Waterfront
    2. Neighborhood Weeping
    3. Along the Gulf Stream
    4. War and Anarchy
    5. Heavy Load

    Part Two: Waves of Terror

    6. Before . . .
    7. Engulfed!
    8. “I Am Prepared to Meet my God”
    9. Darkening Skies

    Part Three: David vs. Goliath

    10. “One of the Worst Catastrophes”
    11. Factor of Safety
    12. “A Sordid Story”

    Epilogue
    List of Deceased
    Bibliographic Essay
    Acknowledgments
    Index
    Afterword to the Anniversary Edition

    Author

    Stephen Puleo is the author of several books including the Boston Globe bestseller The Boston Italians and the critically acclaimed Boston-area bestseller Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919. A former award-winning newspaper reporter and contributor to American History magazine, he holds a master’s degree in history and teaches at Suffolk University. He and his wife, Kate, live in the Boston area. Find him online at www.stephenpuleo.com. View titles by Stephen Puleo

    Praise

    "The definitive account of America's most fascinating and surreal disaster."
    —John Marr, San Francisco Bay Guardian

    "Narrated with gusto . . . [Puleo's] enthusiasm for a little-known catastrophe is infectious." 
    —The New Yorker

    "Compelling . . . Puleo has done justice to a gripping historical story." 
    —Ralph Ranalli, Boston Globe

    "Thoroughly researched . . . weaves together the stories of the people and families affected by the disaster, with often heartbreaking glimpses of their fates . . . The cleanup lasted months, the lawsuits years, the fearful memories a lifetime."
    —Randolph E. Schmid, Associated Press

    "Giving a human face to tragedy is part of the brilliance of Stephen Puleo's Dark Tide . . . Until they were given voice in this book, the characters who drove the story were forgotten." 
    —Caroline Leavitt, Boston Sunday Globe

    Additional formats

    • Dark Tide
      Dark Tide
      The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919
      Stephen Puleo
      9780807026380
      $25.00 US
      Hardcover
      Beacon Press
      Jan 05, 2027
    • Dark Tide
      Dark Tide
      The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919
      Stephen Puleo
      9780807078006
      $18.95 US
      Paperback
      Beacon Press
      Jan 15, 2019
    • Dark Tide
      Dark Tide
      The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919
      Stephen Puleo
      9780807078013
      Ebook
      Beacon Press
      Jan 15, 2019
    • Dark Tide
      Dark Tide
      The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919
      Stephen Puleo
      9780807026380
      $25.00 US
      Hardcover
      Beacon Press
      Jan 05, 2027
    • Dark Tide
      Dark Tide
      The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919
      Stephen Puleo
      9780807078006
      $18.95 US
      Paperback
      Beacon Press
      Jan 15, 2019
    • Dark Tide
      Dark Tide
      The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919
      Stephen Puleo
      9780807078013
      Ebook
      Beacon Press
      Jan 15, 2019

    Other books in this series

    Other Books by this Author

    • A City So Grand
      A City So Grand
      The Rise of an American Metropolis: Boston 1850-1900
      Stephen Puleo
      9780807001493
      $21.00 US
      Paperback
      Beacon Press
      May 17, 2011
    • The Boston Italians
      The Boston Italians
      A Story of Pride, Perseverance, and Paesani, from the Years of the Great Immigration to the Present Day
      Stephen Puleo
      9780807050378
      $20.00 US
      Paperback
      Beacon Press
      May 01, 2008
    • A City So Grand
      A City So Grand
      The Rise of an American Metropolis: Boston 1850-1900
      Stephen Puleo
      9780807001493
      $21.00 US
      Paperback
      Beacon Press
      May 17, 2011
    • The Boston Italians
      The Boston Italians
      A Story of Pride, Perseverance, and Paesani, from the Years of the Great Immigration to the Present Day
      Stephen Puleo
      9780807050378
      $20.00 US
      Paperback
      Beacon Press
      May 01, 2008

    Related Articles

    Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Book Covers: Cowboys and East Indians 9798217006892 Advocate 9781984862495 THE EMPEROR OF GLADNESS 9780593831878 IT RHYMES WITH TAKEI 9781603095747
    General

    Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

    Each May, we honor the stories, histories, and cultures of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Below is a selection of acclaimed fiction and nonfiction books by AANHPI creators to share with your students this month and throughout the year. Find our full collection of titles for Higher Education here.

    Read more

    Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

    General
    Subscribe

    Penguin Random House Higher Education

    © 2026 Penguin Random House

    Back to Top
    0
    Wish List (0)