Any good book on industrial disasters will provide food for thought for the would-be saboteur, but this one is outstanding. The breadth of coverage is excellent, not just boiler explosions. Several of the major disasters covered in this book may have been sabotage, but the cause remains unknown.
Furnaces, hot water heaters, propane tanks, and natural gas supply lines are often overlooked weaknesses of many buildings. Empty beer kegs and asthma inhalers aren’t garbage to the creative saboteur: they are weapons. ( )

Received through Early Reviewers Group. This was an interesting informative work. Describes many historical incidents involving pressure equipment. Descriptions are illustrated with many photos. Safety practices concerning pressure equipment in industry as well as daily life are emphasized. many examples from daily life are given. Found this to be an enjoyable read. ( )

An interesting and attractive coffee table type look at the dangers of a variety of pressure devices, including steamboats (frequently lethal to their passengers), locomotives (slightly less dangerous but with impressive destructive potential), gas-connected explosions (wow!), boilers (ditto), cable cars, distilleries, and such common items as beer kegs and asthma inhalers (never throw either of them in a fire). I'll never feel quite the same about a beer keg again. ( )

I received a copy of Blowback as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers group. As others have indicated, this is a perfect coffee table book (stayed on ours for several months). The quick hit stories are engaging, yet short enough to be casually enjoyed as time allows. I appreciated the fact that each chapter stood on it's own, so picking up where you left off was easy. Admittedly, it took me several months to work my way from cover to cover. Normally that would indicate that the content was not very captivating. However, in this case it is more a matter of getting to the end of a section and feeling comfortable putting the book down to come back for more later. I thoroughly enjoyed making my way through this book. ( )

I got this book mostly for my husband, the engineer. He very much enjoyed reading through it, and the presentation of historical events and details. This is definitely more a coffee table book than a technical manual. The photos are large and glossy, and it's quite nicely illustrated. Even as a non-engineer I found it fascinating. ( )