Customer Reviews

Ken Libbrecht's Field Guide to Snowflakes

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Caltech physics professor Kenneth Libbrecht burst into the public's awareness when he wrote the text to the stunning 2003 book "The Snowflake: Winter's Secret Beauty", with photographs by Patricia Rasmussen. Even laypeople now associate his name with pioneering research in the science of snow as well as great snowflake photography. In this "Field Guide to Snowflakes", Libbrecht offers a practical guide to snowflake-watching whose intent is to entice the reader outdoors, magnifier in hand, to observe the exquisite and endlessly fascinating "Lilliputian world of snowflakes". He tells us just how to do that, how to decipher a snow crystal's history, and provides a method of classification that will help snowflake-watchers understand what they see.

In the first part of the guide, "Understanding Snowflakes", we learn how snowflakes are created by selectively augmenting ice crystals as they tumble through the clouds. Libbrecht explains the conditions that produce some of snowflakes' characteristics, such as symmetry, crystal faceting, branching, ridges, rims, ribs, and sublimation. And he introduces us to 35 snowflake classifications that he will explain in detail in Part 2. These are fewer than the traditional snow crystal classification system. Libbrecht has chosen to organize snow crystals according to their growth mechanisms for the purpose of this book. This seems to be a practical approach that allows the lay person insight into both the forms of snowflakes and their causes without burdening us with too many abstruse classifications.

Part 2 is the heart of the "Field Guide". Libbrecht's classifications are addressed in detail, with examples and explanations of what conditions produce them and why. Libbrecht's prose is always clear and fluid. His enthusiasm for the beauty and mysteries of snow crystals is evident on every page, so the text is never dry. Forty-four full-page "Case Studies" are placed throughout the book, each with a large photograph and a lively analysis of that snow crystal, so we can see exactly what we should be looking for. The explanations of classifications are also found in Chapter 7 of "The Snowflake: Winter's Secret Beauty", though here they are presented in a form that more easily lends itself to field use. The case studies are new to this book and are worth the price.

The final section of "Ken Libbrecht's Field Guide to Snowflakes" offers advice on how to observe the miniature marvels that looked so fascinating on the preceding pages. Libbrecht presents a choice of magnifiers that will do the job and describes the components of his set-up for photographing snowflakes, including advice on lighting and how to find good specimens. You may want more info if you plan to try your hand at microphotography, but this will give you an idea of what you need and how much it is likely to cost. For more details, see Libbrecht's web site www.snowcrystals(dot)com. The "Field Guide" is a hardcover book 5 ½ x 8 1/4 x ½ inches. It doesn't have a dust jacket; the cover art is printed onto the cover, which is attractive and seems pretty durable. I don't know if you would want to take this book out in a snowstorm, but it is a convenient size for reference.

I got this book for my husband for Christmas and he loves it. Not only does it have the most amazing photographs of actual snowflakes, but it gives more information than you ever thought to ask about snowflakes. My husband enjoys reading all kinds of field guides, whether it's about birds, trees, etc and this was one of his favorites.

If you are looking for something a little less informational, check out Ken Libbrecht's Little Book of Snowflakes. I gave that one out to teachers and friends and was enjoyed by all. It is more of a small coffeetable book with lots of amazing photographs.

I first saw Libbrecht's work in a recent issue of The American Scientist, and was delighted when my wife gifted me with this charming little book. In language that engages without condescending, Libbrecht explains the formation, symmetry, and growth of these miniature crystalline gems. I had just finished reading the book when we had an early-March snowfall. Armed with my modest digital camera and its macro settings, I was able to not only photograph individual snowflakes, but actually see for myself the changes in snowflake morphology as the termperature and humidity varied during the snowstorm. Later, after proudly sharing my photos with friends, they asked to see the book and were as captivated as I. Even if you don't care to understand the physics of snow, it's likely you'll never look at snow the same way. And it was stimulating to see that "snowflakes" are often capped columns or needles. I can't wait until the next snowfall!

For a literally small book, this one is the most stunning visual representation of the magnificent variety in nature that I have seen. To create an inspirational masterpiece from this subject matter is nothing short of genius. Everyone should have a copy of this book to bring them back to the grandeur of the hidden wonders around them. Ken Libbrecht has offered something rare and wonderful.

This book has the most incredible, beautiful photos of a very transitory subject. What fun!

I enjoyed the photos of individual snowflakes in this book. It's amazing to me how modern photography can show the beautiful structures of snowflakes so crisply and clearly. I loved seeing the snowflakes that had little points. It's the photographs that make this book so enticing.

This book is a great resource for the citizen scientists. I take kids out on winter snowshoe tours and use this book and a macroscope to explore the types of snow. We can also look at the weather report: temperature and relative humidity and predict the types of snowflakes we'll see: VERY COOL!

Have you ever wondered why there are (supposedly) no two snowflakes alike? This book gives you all the answers.

If you love snowflakes, this is one (there are three) of the books for you! It is a very readable and fascinating study of what comes out of the sky in large flakes or tiny particles, the different parts of a snowflake, and the simple beauty of nature. I bought all three of Ken Libbrecht's snowflakes books and I love them all.

This book came promptly and was in excellent condition. It is a lovely and interesting book.

If you've ever been enchanted by a single snowflake on your sleeve or marveled at the frosty crystals on a windowpane, prepare for a delight beyond imagination! This guide to snowflakes contains the most amazing photographs of this wonder of nature. The accompanying text, though a bit dense in places, describes the formation of ice crystals as they tumble through the atmosphere and explains why certain conditions yield specific types of flakes. What a wonderful confluence of art, science and nature!