"… packed with an amazing collection of facts … succeeds in deriving humour from events which were often tragedies at the time … quotations are linked and accidents retold [in a] skilled and sensitive way … very handy source of material to enliven safety speeches and writings … if readers … want to fill a stocking … here is the answer."
-Barry Hotson, IChemE Loss Prevention Bulletin

"… a book which is effortless to read and may be dipped into at any page … well-researched and written in a lively style. The nature of the storytelling means the reader is compelled to read aloud to anyone who happens to be around, and it is very difficult to put down …"
-Catriona Kelly, The Chemical Engineer

"At times, this book reads like source material for scriptwriters of Tom and Jerry cartoons: one improbable event leading to another, equally implausible. If you have enjoyed previous offerings from the Institute of Physics … you will enjoy this."
-Peter Borrows, Education in Chemistry, Vol. 34, No. 5, September 1997

"… a valuable compendium of interesting accidents and historical facts … a must for all safety practitioners, and a good buy …"
-John Gillett, Zeneca, IChemE Safety and Loss Prevention Newsletter, Summer 1997

"… anthology of disasters, accidents, and lucky escapes … written to educate as well as entertain … a book to dip into and chuckle over … a good book to … give as a present."
-K. Swinfen, School Science Review, March 1998