The Weather Companion: An Album of Meteorological History, Science, and Folklore [Paperback]

Gary Lockhart (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471620793 | ISBN-13: 978-0471620792 | Publication Date: October 14, 1988 | Edition: 1

The Weather Companion An Album of Meteorological History, Science, Legend, and Folklore Throughout history, as farmer, sailor, hunter, and artist, humans have watched and worried about the weather. We have devised ways to observe it, to predict it, to protect ourselves from it, to take advantage of it. It plays a major role in the science and folklore of every culture. Gary Lockhart's The Weather Companion is a fascinating compendium of meteorological facts and fables, from ancient myths to the latest research, from the rain forests to the desert regions. You'll learn about the meteorology of Noah's flood; methods of forecasting; the behavior of weather cycles; weather predictors such as the thickness of corn husks, the height of saw grass, and the behavior of animals; weather prophets; and much more. Gary Lockhart reveals what makes rain "smell," how natural barometers work, and the long history of weather fish, once kept to predict rain, and revived during China's Cultural Revolution. You'll even learn the best time to go fishing! Beautifully illustrated, captivating and original, The Weather Companion is a delightful experience for all ages. Your skies and sunsets will never be the same.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-- A compendium of weather fact and folklore, from ancient weather myths to current research. Weather of the past, weather tools, weather phenomena, and weather predictions all help explain the lore and scientific facts of everyday weather experiences. Black-and-white line drawings are used in the extensive illustrations.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

A fascinating look at weather, including a wealth of unusual proverbial and naturalist lore. Makes the vagaries of the weather comprehensible, from the point of view of naturalists, and both modern and ancient meteorologists. Describes several ``natural barometers'', and explains the basis of some old-time weather lore. Can one predict rain from the behavior of insects, birds, or other animals? Was there a Great Flood? The author addresses these and many other fascinating questions in entertaining, nontechnical language. Incorporates historical information based on records from past centuries to the present. Illustrated.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (October 14, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471620793
• ISBN-13: 978-0471620792
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,093,002 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Inaccurate, misleading, speculative and often just wrong, May 11, 1998

By 

Steve Horstmeyer (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Weather Companion: An Album of Meteorological History, Science, and Folklore (Paperback)

I reviewed this book for the American Meteorological Society and was quite surprised, negatively, that a respected publisher like Wiley could allow so much inaccurate information to be published. This book is poorly edited, poorly conceived and generally not a book that should be recommended for the casual reader looking for solid information on meteorology.

For example when discussing lightning, rather than give the best advice, which would be, "do not stand near trees, get inside if at all possible", Lockhart proceeds with a ridiculous discussion on which tree species get struck least and most often. He then proceeds to give the dangerous advice on which tree species to stand under in case lightning is near. It is probably a function of where a particular tree resides (i.e. ridge vs. valley) and has nothing to do with what is considered by professionals to be meteorology.

This book is a good example of a little knowledge (on the author's part) being a dangerous thing.

There are many excellent books for the lay reader on meteorology, this is NOT one of them, in fact it is among the worst I have seen in 22 years as a professional meteorologist.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very intresting book, but leaves out a few details, April 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Weather Companion: An Album of Meteorological History, Science, and Folklore (Paperback)

The Weather Companion, by Gary Lockhart is a very interesting weather book. Unlike what Amazon.com says, my book only has 230 pages ( not 240 ) and is including index, and Bibliography. Great book that goes through most elements of weather, from clouds to storms to hurricanes to a few anecdotes. A good book to buy, it is very good for a person who is just starting to crave knowledge of the weather.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Possibilities, September 21, 2000

By 

A. (Anonymous) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Weather Companion: An Album of Meteorological History, Science, and Folklore (Paperback)

This book is not a professional meteorological source and should not be read as one. It is however an excellent catalyst for curiousity and although I found it did not answer all my questions, it approached weather legend with scientific results which, though they were not extensive studies, presented possibilites for further studies. The Weather Companion is a book for the beginner in meterorology of for a meteorologist who wishes to explore a different aspect of the weather. Plants and animals have natural indicators of current and possibly future weather, this book brings up a topic which should studied further. INTERESTING READ.....DO NOT USE FOR SERIOUS RESEARCH OR PROJECTS without additional information.