The Summer of Death: The Great Heat Wave of 1936 and the Making of Modern-Day America by Williams, Geoff
The Summer of Death: The Great Heat Wave of 1936 and the Making of Modern-Day America by Williams, Geoff

The Summer of Death: The Great Heat Wave of 1936 and the Making of Modern-Day America

A riveting historic narrative that tells the iconic story of the great heat wave that ravaged the...
$42.00 USD
$42.00 USD
Please hurry! Only 625 left in stock
Author: Geoff Williams
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Subtotal: $42.00
The Summer of Death: The Great Heat Wave of 1936 and the Making of Modern-Day America by Williams, Geoff

The Summer of Death: The Great Heat Wave of 1936 and the Making of Modern-Day America

$42.00
The Summer of Death: The Great Heat Wave of 1936 and the Making of Modern-Day America by Williams, Geoff

The Summer of Death: The Great Heat Wave of 1936 and the Making of Modern-Day America

$42.00
Author: Geoff Williams
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Description
A riveting historic narrative that tells the iconic story of the great heat wave that ravaged the continent in the last gasps of the Dust Bowl.

In 1936, after one of the coldest winters on record, North America experienced a heat wave that remains unmatched today. Thanks to a combination of an unusually warm sea surface in the Atlantic and Pacific, stagnating high-pressure, drought, and poor farming techniques, temperatures soared across virtually every state (and the territory of Alaska) for months.

This summer, the sun aimed its deadly rays at more than 11,000 Americans and 1,000 Canadians. Air conditioning was uncommon, workers' rights were few, and in an age before high blood pressure medication, a lot of middle-aged adults, toiling in the sun, were literally working themselves to death.

This was a summer in which there was almost no escape from the 100-plus temperatures, and woe to those who tried. Men, women, and children rushed into rivers to cool off, only to drown. Desperate people slept on roofs to catch a breeze, only to roll over and plummet to their deaths. Young and old, rich and poor, human and animal, it didn't really matter. If the heat wanted you, it was going to get you.

The heat wave of 1936 sparked massive social changes and technological advances, as well as improvements in health care, and it ignited an ongoing impassioned national dialogue about climate change that continues, to varying degrees, to this day.

Filled with vivid detail and characters as intense as the oppressive heat itself, The Summer of Death is the definitive narrative history about this paradigm changing season. In the tradition of Timothy Egan's The Worst Hard Time and Edward P. Kohn's Hot Time in the Old Town, The Summer of Death reveals a unique and vital chapter of American history, one that could portend dire consequences for our future.

Author: Geoff Williams
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Published: 06/02/2026
Pages: 480
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.63lbs
Size: 9.14h x 5.92w x 1.82d
ISBN: 9798897101252


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 03/01/2026
Booklist 03/01/2026
Library Journal 04/01/2026 pg. 79

About the Author
Geoff Williams is the author of C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race: The True Story of the 1928 Coast-to-Coast Run Across America and Washed Away: How the Great Flood of 1913, America's Most Widespread Natural Disaster, Terrorized a Nation and Changed It Forever, also available from Pegasus Books. He lives near Dayton, Ohio.
Shipping & Return

Returns Policy

You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.

Shipping

We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.

When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.

Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.

Review