Santorini’s beauty is renowned all over the world. It is hard to pick up the most beautiful landmark of this magnificent island in Greece.
Its sunsets are mesmerizing & breathtaking. The volcano brings back memories from the Lost Atlantis. Its food, the local wines & the unique architecture have inspired many writers, poets, architects & geologists among others.
Mythology, ancient history, architecture, culinary tastes, espionage & love stories written about Santorini.
You pick the book that you love and Santorini, as always, helps you travel to another mythical world.
Santorini: Volcano, Natural History, Mythology
by Walter L Friedrich , Alexander R McBirney
The author, a well-known geologist, blends the thrill of scientific discovery with a popular presentation of the geology, archeology, history, peoples, and environmental settings of the island group of Santorini. He not only gives a comprehensive overview of the volcanic island and its past, but also reports on the latest discoveries: The finding, for example, of the olive trees which had been buried alive by the Minoan eruption has made it possible now to give a direct and precise radiocarbon date for the volcanic catastrophe. 
Furthermore, he seeks to assign certain geological structures, such as faulted rocks, red lavas and harbor sites, as depicted on the Bronze Age frescos from Santorini, to still-existing details in the Santorini landscape of today. Excellent color photographs and illustrations…
When the Greek island of Santorini, classically known as Thera, erupted dramatically in 1613 BC (+/- 13 years), it produced one of the largest explosions ever witnessed, thereby possibly giving rise to the legend of Atlantis.
This so-called ‘Minoan’ eruption triggered tsunamis that devastated coastal settlements in the region, and on Santorini it left behind a Bronze Age Pompeii, which is currently being excavated. Thriving Bronze Age settlements on the island – rich in colorful wall paintings and highly sophisticated pottery – were buried under thick layers of volcanic ash.
The ejection of an immense volume of dust into the atmosphere also altered global climate for several years.
Pub. Date: October 2009
Publisher: Aarhus University Press
Format: Hardcover , 324pp
Sales Rank: 967,009
ISBN: 8779345050
Fire in the Sea
by Walter L. Friedrich , Alexander R. McBirney (Translator)
The legend of the lost city of Atlantis has captivated the human imagination for centuries. Did this city actually exist, and, if so, what happened to it? Was it destroyed in the greatest cataclysmic event of the Bronze Age? While the truth behind the legend of Atlantis may never be known, Fire in the Sea tells the story of one of the largest and most devastating natural disasters of classical history that may also hold vital clues to the possible existence and fate of the lost city.
In vivid prose, author Walter L. Friedrich describes the eruption of the Greek island of Santorini, or Thera, sometime in the 17th or 16th century BC. This eruption, perhaps one of the largest explosions ever witnessed by humankind, sent a giant cloud of volcanic ash into the air that eventually covered settlements on the island. Friedrich relates how this event forever altered the course of civilization in the region, and inspired a mystery. More than 160 elegant, full?color photographs and vivid prose capture the beauty, the geology, archaeology, history, peoples and environmental setting of Santorini.
Fire in the Sea will readily appeal to the general reader interested in natural catastrophes as well as the beauty of the region.
Pub. Date: May 2000
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Format: Hardcover , 272pp
ISBN: 0521652901
Santorini (Wine)
by Frederic P. Miller (Editor) , Agnes F. Vandome (Editor) , John McBrewster (Editor)
Santorini is a Greek wine region located on the archipelago of Santorini in the southern Cyclades islands of the Aegean Sea. Although wine has been produced there since ancient Greek times, when the region was known as Thíra, it was not until the Middle Ages that the wine of Santorini became famous under the influence of the Venetians. 
The Italian influence is still present in modern Santorini winemaking; one of the wines the region is known for is a sweet Vin Santo (labeled here as vinsanto) made in a passito style from grapes dried in the sun after harvest. Santorini also produces blended and rosé wine made from white grapes such as Athiri, Aidini and Assyrtiko, and red grapes such as Mandelaria. To avoid confusion with the Vin Santo wines typically produced in the Tuscan wine region of Chianti, many producers on Santorini have taken to labeling their straw wine produced in the vinsanto style as Liastos which is derived from the the ancient Greek word helios.
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles!
Pub. Date: December 2010
Publisher: Alphascript Publishing
Format: Paperback , 80pp
ISBN: 6134096660
Santorini Volcano
Timothy H. Druitt
Santorini has long fascinated geologists, with some important early work on volcanoes being conducted there. Since 1980, research groups at Cambridge University, and later at the University of Bristol and Blaise Pascal University in Clermont-Ferrand, have collected a large amount of data on the stratigraphy, geochemistry, geochronology and petrology of the volcanics. 
The volcanic field has been remapped at a scale of 1:10,000. A remarkable picture of cyclic volcanic activity and magmatic evolution has emerged from this work. Much of this work has remained unpublished until now.
The Memoir synthesizes all the data from the Cambridge/Bristol/Clermont groups, and integrates published data from other research groups. It provides the latest interpretation of the tectonic and magmatic evolution of Santorini. It is accompanied by the new 1:10,000 full-colour geological map of the island.
Santorini
MacLean, Alistair
Reissue of the gripping tale of sabotage at sea, from the acclaimed master of action and suspense. In the heart of the Aegean Sea, a luxury yacht is on fire and sinking fast. Minutes later, a four-engined jet with a fire in its nose-cone crashes into the sea. Is there a sinister connection between these two tragedies? 
And is it an accident that the Ariadne, a NATO spy ship, is the only vessel in the vicinity – the only witness? Only Commander Talbot of the Ariadne can provide the answers as he uncovers a deadly plot involving drugs and terrorism – leading to the heart of the Pentagon.
Pub. Date: September 1994
Publisher: Harper (HarperCollins Publishers)
Format: Paperback , 80pp
ISBN: 0006174531
Santorini: a guide to the island and its archaeological treasures
by Christos Doumas
This book includes information about Santorini’s Geography and Geology, its Historical Outline, about the prehistoric Thear, Akrotiri: The Houses; Pottery; Wall-Paintings; Stone Tools and Vessels; Miniature Art and Metal-Working; External Relations; Economic, Social, and Political Organisation; The Catastrophe and the Myth of Atlantis.
It also has a huge chapter about ancient Thera, Mesa Vouno: Town Plan; Architecture; The Agora; The Sanctuaries; Other Public Buildings; Private Houses; Art and Letters; Funerary Customs; External Relations; Social Organisation and Way of Life.
Pub. Date: 2003
Publisher: Ekdotike Athenon
Format: Paperback , 128pp
Atlantis: the legend of a lost city
by Christina Balit, Plato
A magnificently illustrated retelling of the story of Atlantis–one of the world’s most haunting and fascinating myths. Floating on the emerald sea is a small rocky island belonging to the mighty sea-god Poseidon. Few visit its shores-until Poseidon marries a beautiful woman named Cleito and transforms the island into a rich and fertile paradise, where all things flourish.
A magnificent city arises. Poseidon names his perfect island Atlantis. Atlantis prospers and its people live in peace, but as the years pass, Poseidon’s descendants start to act less like gods and more like men. When the people incur the wrath of their god, a terrible curse is carried out and the entire island sinks forever beneath the waves. 
This retelling of the history of fabled Atlantis is based on Plato’s Timaeus and Critias. It features a note by internationally known historian Geoffrey Ashe, who has written extensively in the area of mythology.
Pub. Date: 2000
Publisher: Holt
Format: Paperback , 32pp
ISBN: 080506334X
Those are just a short selection of books that have been written about Santorini. We did not mention any travel guides though, there are hundreds of them about Santorini.
