Customer Reviews (4)

difficult subject to cover and explain
I had no idea Weather or Meteorology or Atmospheric Science would be so difficult but this has helped explain what I am watching and listening to with the "Teaching Company" lectures on"Meteorology: An Introduction to the Wonders of the Weather".I wanted a companion book but nothing can compare to the course with the graphics and charts on the lectures. I had the Dummies book on Weather but didn't like it in the least.Maybe it was outdated as I couldn't find most of the terminology Dr. Fovell used in the lectures. This is a better but still not as good as some CIG books and I have read most of them on all topics over the years.

Talks About the Weather but Doesn't Explain
I was looking for a book that would offer a detailed explanation of the science of weather in terms that even an idiot such as myself could understand. Then I found this 400-plus page book called The Complete Idiot's Guide to WEATHER! Just what the doctor ordered!

But here's the thing: Out of the 400-plus pages, only a mere 20 percent of them are dedicated to explaining the weather. The bulk of the book -- chapter after endless chapter -- is about global warming, climate changes, pollution, how to control pollution, ozone layer depletion, seasonal allergies and other health issues, political debates regarding weather, in-depth descriptions of a few hurricanes over the past few years, an entire chapter dedicated to El Nino,blah, blah, blah.

As for that tiny 1/5 of the book that deals with actually explaining the basics of weather? Don't waste your time with it. Most of it is filled with Dr. Mel Goldstein baby-talking his way around inconsequential pieces of information. Until, that is, he reaches a crucial and complicated point. Only then does he generally pare down his words into a couple of brief sentences (that tend not to make a lick of sense to the layman), whereas he should have dedicated an entire chapter to the topic! But there are always the helpful graphics to assist in understanding these issues, e.g. the stick figure (literally!) with a few arrows pointing to it. Examining that did me a world of good. Not.

To be honest, I ultimately became so annoyed and frustrated in dealing with it that tore this book in two and threw it away, namely to insure that no one else would have the misfortune of falling prey to its implied promises of explaining the weather to complete idiots.

Sunny Forecast for this book
I've always been fascinated by weather and its changes. However, having spent my whole life on the West Coast (and almost all of it in California), I can't say I'm that much of a "weather expert." I remember living in San Diego in the late 1970s and having a weatherman describe a passing storm front as a series of "squall lines." I always wondered what exactly that meant. While this book may not define "squall lines" specifically, it does go a long way in explaining our weather. And after reading this book I still may not be a weather expert, but I'm definitely much more knowledgeable about it.

I like the Idiot books because they explain a subject in some depth without going overboard, but at the same time don't "dumb down" to the point of telling cutesy jokes to get a point across. This book is no exception. Taking on weather topics from wind and rain, how violent storms (thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes) develop, how air pollution affects us, "global warming," even how a day to day forecast is put together and how to become a TV weatherman are done in a light but still informative style. There's also some excellent reference material (weather glossary, weather maps, etc.) at the back of the book too.

An excellent introductory book about weather and one that I can refer to time and time again.

A great learning tool!
This book was very interesting. It is great for people of all ages. It answers any question you ever had about the weather, and you don't even have to be a scientist to understand it! It would make a great gift too! ... Read more

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We talk about it endlessly, write about it copiously, and predict it badly. It influences what we do, what we wear, and how we live. Weather--how does it really impact our lives? In this compelling look at weather, author Burroughs combines historical perspective and economic and political analysis to give the impact of weather and climate change relevance and weight. He examines whether the frequency of extreme events is changing and the consequences of these changes. He looks at the chaotic nature of the climate and how this unpredictability can impose serious limits on how we plan for the future. Finally, he poses the important question: what types of serious, even less predictable changes are around the corner? In balanced and accessible prose, Burroughs works these issues into lucid analysis. This refreshing and insightful look at the impact of weather will appeal to anyone who has ever worried about forgetting an umbrella. William James Burroughs is the author of Watching the World's Weather (CUP, 1991) and Weather Cycles: Real or Imaginary? (CUP, 1994). ... Read more

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This book provides a basic understanding of weather terminology, and includes hints on observation for making short-term contrasts and understanding professional forecasters. ... Read more

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Are you planning a trip or vacation outside North America? Need practical weather and climate information in advance? Then, The Cambridge Guide to the Weather should be on top of your list of things to buy before you go. Invaluable for planning trips around the world, with its handy country-by-country climate data and statistics, along with in-depth explanations of global weather patterns, this remarkable resource offers helpful guidance and handy tips for measuring and recording the weather as well as for interpreting weather signs. In addition, Ross Reynolds gives a detailed, factual, and balanced account of the implications of environmental issues currently in the headlines, such as global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer, as well as the effects of El Niño and other phenomena on world weather patterns. Packed full of color photographs and satellite images, the text is also illustrated with specially commissioned artwork, maps, charts, and graphs. The Cambridge Guide to the Weather is a must-have purchase not only for travelers but indeed for anyone who enjoys the outdoors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

This Guide Helps You Become Weather-Wise!!!
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This slim book, by Cambridge meteorology lecturer Ross Reynolds is a practical, invaluable guide for all those influenced directly or indirectly by the weather (which is all of us).Reynolds elaborates: "Amongst other things, this book outlines a grounding in meteorology for those who want to gain a basic understanding of what makes the weather `tick,' and to appreciate what lies behind some of today's great atmospheric environmental issues.

Each chapter of this nine-chapter book begins with a brief summary:

(1) The Atmosphere

"Before looking at the weather in detail, it is necessary to set the scene by explaining some basic facts about the atmosphere's chemical make-up, its structure and layering, and what drives it to on a global scale.This basic knowledge will help you understand subsequent chapters."

(2) Weather Observation

"Many people take more than just a conversational interest in the atmosphere by recording weather measurements at home.In some countries, there are networks of enthusiasts who produce regular newsletters that often include members' observations.The advent of the internet has facilitated even wider links between observers on an intercontinental scale."

(3) Weather Mapping

"Portraying the elements of both the `actual' weather and its forecast state as a...map, for one instant, is crucial in...meteorology.Satellite and radar `images' also aid in the visualization of extensive [weather] detail in a quickly [non-overwhelming] form.Much of the complexity of the atmosphere is, and will remain, summarized in map form that is truly international language for meteorology."

(4) Global Weather

"It is important to understand the links between patterns of global [atmospheric] pressure, circulation, temperature, humidity, and precipitation before investigating individual weather-producing disturbances such as...hurricanes and typhoons."

(5) How the Weather Works

"Every day, we all experience one facet or another of the weather, even if this is only the view from a window on a dull day...What makes the wind blow?How do clouds form and stay in the sky?How do they produce rain, snow, and drizzle?Why are there different types of fog?How do dew and frost form?These topics [and more] are discussed in this chapter."

(6) Weather Forecasting

"To most people, the main aim of the meteorologist is to prepare and present a weather forecast.Furthermore, television is probably the most common medium through which they obtain information on what is likely to happen over the next day or so weather-wise."

(7) Hazardous Weather

"In many parts of the world, the most common natural hazard to effect society is the weather.Its impact may be very short lived-from the disastrous transit of a tornado, to the potentially devastating passage of widespread gales that may last a day or so-or much more extensive, such as widespread flooding that may persist for weeks, or drought that may last for a season."

(8) World Holiday Weather

"This chapter gives general information on the duration of various aspects of the climate, at a variety of holiday and other locations."(Note that this chapter provides a graph for monthly temperature, monthly rainfall, and monthly sunlight for each location or city profiled.This information is particularly useful for travelers.)

(9) Environmental Issues

"During the last decade or so, we have become more aware of global or near-global changes in the atmosphere that have occurred naturally or through the activities of [humans]...El Nino, global warming, and the `hole' in the ozone layer are three environmental issues that are described in detail in this chapter."

In a few places within this book are internet addresses for major sites that provide up-to-date details of various topics within weather and climate.

This book has more than 300 illustrations (photographs, satellite imagery, maps, or diagrams), most in color.Also included are graphs, tables and charts.In fact, almost every page of this book contains at least one illustration, graph, table, or chart.

Finally, there is a handy glossary that provides definitions of common (examples: "precipitation," "snow") and uncommon (examples: "cut-off," "southern oscillation") weather terms.

In conclusion, this book concisely and adequately explains a fascinating subject important to all of us--the weather!!

(first published 2000;preface;introduction;9 chapters;main narrative 180 pages; glossary; further reading; acknowledgements; index)

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Very Good
Of the few (15?) titles available on this subject, this is one of four that I bought. Good instructional material, broad based, and accurate. Small little volume that is a quick read and informative. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

what we can learn
Even someone like me who has been politically active all her grown life can learn something from this book.I was really pleased to see profits are going to the Rosenberg Fund for Children which helps provide comfort and needed money to children of activists.Also most of us did not have a very accurate idea of what the Weathermen actually did. ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1921. This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks, notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Publisher: New York, London, D. Appleton and Company; Publication date: 1922; Subjects: Law / Constitutional; Nature / Weather; Political Science / Constitutions; Science / Earth Sciences / Meteorology ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

If you love facts!
Nice weather, isn't it?" So goes a typical Minnesota greeting--and if the weather isn't NICE, weather comments are still foremost in our greeting.

If you love to watch, think, talk about or curse the weather, the Minnesota Weather Almanac will give you a better understanding of the range of our weather.

"Cold enough for you?"

If you like tidbits like: "What is the record for consecutive days of temperatures never rising above freezing (32F) in the Twin Cities (p. 85), the choices are 18, 42 and 66. Gads, the answer is 66 days, from December 19, 1977 to February 12, 1978. As they said in the Grumpy Old Men movie --- Brrrrrrrrrr.

Whether you are a weather novice or a junkie, this book has it all. Author climatologist Mark Seely is also a Minnesota Public Radio commentator. He has organized the information by seasons, and gives you enough facts and figures for many family dinners or long car rides. It includes quizzes, historical weather pictures, and definitions (what is a wind ripple? p.69).

Some of the granddaddy of storms are listed like: Out of the more than 1400 Minnesota tornadoes (from 1920-2005), how many have been classified as F-5s, with wind speeds more than 261 miles per hour? Choices: 7, 15 or 32. Answer is 7 and the most recent was in Chandler in Murray County, June 16, 1992.

Armchair Interviews says: Minnesota Weather Almanac is a great book for people who love facts, making this an idea gift for dad or granddad, as men seem to revel in spouting facts, right?




... Read more

Product Description
Mr. Greer outlines the not well-known aircraft and activities of the United States Air Force's all-weather fighters during the first part of the Cold War. He covers the organization, development and decline of the all-weather force in response to the Soviet Union's long-range strategic bomber force equipped with atomic weapons.The author describes not only the individual aircraft from the early night fighters of World War II through the F-106A of the seventies and beyond but also the control organization that directed them until the whole operation was made superfluous by the ballistic missile standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union in the latter half of the Cold War. ... Read more

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Meteorology explores the earth's weather and attempts to explain the various phenomena associated with it, from the continuous movement of water in the hydrologic cycle to dangerous funnel clouds that appear during a storm. Careful observation can reveal clues to the workings of weather: Why does the rain fall? What causes the wind to blow? How does a cloud form? Discover Nature in the Weather answers these questions, providing a practical and entertaining guide to understanding the behavior of the sky. It also offers hands-on experiments using common household items. ... Read more

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Hurricane Katrina. The Indian Ocean Tsunami. Killer Tornadoes. Planet Earth's extremes of weather are making news as never before, and now LIFE explains why, in a book that collects some of the greatest photographs of natural disasters ever assembled. From earthquakes to tornadoes, lightning to tsunamis, LIFE Nature's Fury illuminates the hidden natural forces that shape our lives in splendid and terrible ways.

LIFE travels back to before Noah's flood and looks at the frenzied activity that led to the death of the dinosaurs. The volcano that might have sunk the legendary Atlantis is discussed, as is the one that led to the poignant mummies of Pompeii. In our times, LIFE presents 25 natural disasters of the last century and a-half in vivid photography. Interspersed are special sections that answer the questions: What is a hurricane? What is a Tsunami? What is an earthquake? This helps the reader understand the phenomenal forces behind the almost unbelievable imagery.

Photography captures many things well, but it captures nature--especially nature at its most furious--best. This is an exciting, dynamic volume. ... Read more

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3F Forecasts has been publishing its unique newsletter for over ten years. During this time a great amount of research has been invested into the uncovering of cycles and associated events. This research and refinement of the knowledge of cycles has shed new insights into what has happened in the past and what is likely to happen in the future. Many predictions and insights have been documented in the newsletter. We have gone back over the past ten years and have reprinted some of the most asked for articles. This is GBC bound into a large book that opens flat and is easy to read. It is titled, Cycles Weather and History. Many of our readers have not been subscribers for the entire ten years. This compilation will provide some of the best information ever printed in that period - as well as some of the most interesting and entertaining stories that were printed in the newsletter. If you are not totally familiar with the author, Larry Acker, be prepared for a wide range of interests, in-depth research and a broad knowledge of his disciplines. He has a record of over 80% absolute accuracy in his long-range predictions of weather. If you give him a latitude of about ten days of either side of his predictions - it is very high! Larry is a fascinating personality and an exciting writer. This is must reading for anyone who is interested in the dynamics of weather and related agricultural, financial and futures activity - and, in many cases, major social and political events. You will come away with a whole new appreciation of how many influences affect our daily lives, shape our future and have an effect on our security. It is sometimes a bit scary that we have so little control or influence - many times we can only react. If we can anticipate, then we can react in time. If we react too late, the events could suck us in like a giant whirlpool! ... Read more

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The 18th century was a wealth of knowledge, exploration and rapidly growing technology and expanding record-keeping made possible by advances in the printing press. In its determination to preserve the century of revolution, Gale initiated a revolution of its own: digitization of epic proportions to preserve these invaluable works in the largest archive of its kind. Now for the first time these high-quality digital copies of original 18th century manuscripts are available in print, making them highly accessible to libraries, undergraduate students, and independent scholars.
Medical theory and practice of the 1700s developed rapidly, as is evidenced by the extensive collection, which includes descriptions of diseases, their conditions, and treatments. Books on science and technology, agriculture, military technology, natural philosophy, even cookbooks, are all contained here.
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The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification:
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British Library

T122414

Anonymous. By Thomas Short.

London : printed for T. Longman; and A. Millar, 1749. 2v. ; 8° ... Read more

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The Weathers Name in History is a customized book offering a unique blend of fascinating facts, statistics and commentary about the Weathers name.The book is just one of an entire series of family name books in the Our Name in History collection.Each book in the collection is printed on demand and is compiled from hundreds of millions of records from the world's largest online resource of family history, Ancestry.co.uk.This particular book follows the Weathers family name through history and makes the perfect gift for your family members and anyone interested in the Weathers name. In the book you'll find out about where people with the Weathers last name originated. You may discover the countries and ports they left behind, the ships they sailed and more. You'll get a better idea of where people sharing the Weathers name settled and where they may reside today in the United Kingdom and other countries.You'll get all this information and much more in your Weathers family name book. ... Read more