For this edition, and since 1991, the author spent 2 summers, or about 7 months traveling Russian-speaking areas of Central Asia, Russia, the Kavkazian (Caucasus) Republics, and eastern Europe; also another 4 months in east and southern Africa, including 5 islands east of Africa in the Indian Ocean. He also returned to the Caribbean twice, once going to northern South America, plus 2 full months in Indonesia, 2 months in the central Pacific, a month in the Philippines and another month in Japan, 2 months in northeast Africa and the Arabian countries of Oman & Yemen, 1 1/2 months in Southeast Asia, about 4 months going to the eastern USA, Mexico and Canada & Alaska, and another month in Mexico & Central America. While on these travels he made the decision to go after as many active or "live" volcanos as possible. The reason for this is, everyone enjoys a close look at, and the exilerating experience of a real live, belching, rumbling, snorting, smoking or quaking volcano.
To the author's knowledge, this is the only book around that is a climbing guide to volcanos and/or the volcanos of the world. On maps featuring a volcano, a paragraph on its eruptive history is included, along with how to get there, how long it will take to climb, something about transportation & hotels, where water and campsites are, etc, etc.
The author has now traveled to 223 countries, republics, islands or island groups, and has personally visited, been close to, and/or has climbed a mountain on more than 91% of the total mapped areas in this new 4th Editon.