Weather Basics [Paperback]

Joseph J. Balsama (Author), Peter R. Chaston (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Chaston Scientific Inc (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964517256
• ISBN-13: 978-0964517257
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,726,536 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The authors should pay the reader.., October 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Weather Basics (Paperback)

Why is there no rating below 1 star? This is without doubt the worst book I have ever read. It clearly illustrates why some authors must to revert to self publishing. Its writing (punctuation, grammer, typos, sentence structure, etc.) is on par with that of a seventh grade D- English student: it's atrocious. This would be bad enough, but the authors commit so many errors of fact that everything they have written is tainted. For example: Our atmosphere is not composed of "87.08% nitrogen." Compass needles do not align with the Earth's magnetic poles. A meteorite is not "what a meteor ["meteoroide" is the correct term] is called after it hits the earth's surface."--the authors have no idea what the word "meteor" denotes. They also fail to grasp the concept of syzsygy: the alingment of the Sun, Earth, and Moon. And, they might be suprised to learn that whatever conifers may bear it is certainly not thistles. Even the layout of the book is terrible. Full color photos vie for space with child-like pencil drawings--I'm talking 5th or 6th grade art work here. Then there is the typwritten index. Although extensive almost to a fault, it has been so reduced in size that the letters and numbers are nearly indecipherable. The only true good that could be wrought from this mess is as an example of how a book should not be put together. In fact, I urge everyone to checkout Basic Weather from their local library just to see how bad a book can be--just don't rely on its contents.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book Yes, November 30, 2001

By 

Ilyas (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weather Basics (Paperback)

I am arrived in America two years from Pakistan. Meteorology is a big hobby in Pakistan. Everybody talk about weather.I was leader of a club in my home of Karachi. This Balsama book is a very good book. There are not so many amateur meteorology books in Urdu .I am happy Balsama writes a book that is simply for person who has not good English.Do not be a fool for silly reviews that say Balsama book is bad. They do not know. The silly reader from Minneapolis says that Balsama is wrong that a meteorite is meteor that reaches earth's surface. Balsama is correct. I read it in my dictionary. Is my dictionary wrong reader in Minneapolis? Pictures in book are very good not bad. And what is this crazy talk of thistles and conifers. If this makes you mad buy a garden book. If you like the weather, buy the Balsama book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A questionable book and bogus ratings, September 21, 2001

By 

kel Brandon (Austin Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weather Basics (Paperback)

I don't know whether or not there is truly a new edition of this book--I have my suspicions--but the copy I came across is terrible. Everything the first two reviewers said is absoluty right on. If in fact there is a new edition I sincerely hope the authors had it reviewed by competent meterologists and had it copy edited. The reason for all my doubts is that the last three glowing 5-star reviews all came within a four day period, and two of them on the same day--how likely is that. This, plus the fact that, as pointed out, another 5-star review came from the same small town as one of the authors leads me to believe that the authors may well be stuffing the ballot box. And after looking over the book, such a duplictous act would not suprise me in the least.