The Cloudspotter's Guide: The Science, History, and Culture of Clouds

by Gavin Pretor-Pinney

Bill Sanderson (Illustrator)

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Book cover for The Cloudspotter's Guide

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'The clouds are nature's poetry, and the most egalitarian of her displays, since everyone has an equally fantastic view of them. Clouds are for dreamers, and their contemplation benefits the soul. Yet their beauty is so everyday as to be in danger of being overlooked ...' Gavin Pretor Pinney is the chairman and founder member of the Cloud Appreciation Society. He contends that we are blessed in this country with a uniquely rich and varied cloudscape, which has hitherto been sadly undervalued. His book teaches us to appreciate their different varieties -- the cumulus, nimbostratus and Morning Glory to name only a few -- and all their beauties and significances, both meteorological and cultural. We learn how Hindus believed the cumulus clouds were the spiritual cousins of elephants, how thermal air currents act on fair weather cumuli, and how to save a fortune in psychiatric bills by using the clouds as Rorschach images that reflect our state of mind as well as nature's moods. Looking up will never be the same again.
  • ISBN10 0399532560
  • ISBN13 9780399532566
  • Publish Date 6 June 2006 (first published 24 April 2006)
  • Publish Status Out of Print
  • Out of Print 16 March 2011
  • Publish Country US
  • Imprint Perigee Books
  • Format Hardcover
  • Pages 320
  • Language English