Defining the Wind: The Beaufort Scale, and How a 19th-Century Admiral Turned Science into Poetry (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While working as a copy editor two decades ago, Huler chanced across the Beaufort scale in Merriam-Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary. He was entranced by the scale's "quintessence of... verbal economy, the ultimate expression of concise, clear, and absolutely powerful writing, 110 words in six-point type" that describe the varieties of wind from "calm" to "hurricane." Huler soon turned to a successful career as a writer and NPR contributor, but the Beaufort scale stuck with him, and he decided to learn more about the man whose definition of a "strong breeze" reads: "large branches in motion; telegraph wires whistle; umbrellas used with difficulty." Huler's admittedly obsessive narrative ranges from the late–18th-century ships of the British West Indies Company to a wind tunnel at the University of Michigan, leading "through sailing and engineering and science and technology." But at its heart is a fascination with the language we use to describe the world around us. Less a piece of science writing than a writer's meditation on science, this gem of a book is equal parts history, mystery, textbook and memoir, as much a story about how we think about the wind as it is about the wind itself, and deserves a wide audience among readers interested in writing, nature and history. 30 illus.
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From The New Yorker

"Small trees in leaf begin to sway; crested wavelets form on inland waters." So runs the Beaufort scale's definition of a "fresh breeze," or one that blows between nineteen and twenty-four m.p.h. Huler's chance encounter with this guide for assessing wind force at sea sparks an infatuation with its spare, cadenced lines and a desire to learn about their origins. The eponymous Sir Francis Beaufort didn't actually write the famous descriptions but still acts as the book's presiding spirit, as Huler traces the rise of scientific classification at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Huler writes with self-deprecating wit, and although some of his scientific discussions are excessively rudimentary ("The Earth is a sphere"), he captures the Beaufort scale's "open-hearted intellectual decency."
Copyright © 2005 The New Yorker

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Crown; First Edition edition (August 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400048842
• ISBN-13: 978-1400048847
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #710,242 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Wind for Poets, December 18, 2004

By	Bruce Crocker "agnostictrickster" (Whittier, California United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Defining The Wind by Scott Huler is a special book that combines two of my loves in life - earth science and language. Huler, a writer who is NOT a science writer by trade, fell in love with the Beaufort [Wind] Scale in 1983 while a copy editor scanning a copy of the dictionary. He was so impressed with the 110 words of the scale and their simple but poetic qualities, he embarked on an extended intellectual journey to discover the scale's author. Defining The Wind is Huler's wonderful retelling of that journey. Along the way, Huler learns to draw, learns to help sail a tall ship, and rummages through many a dusty archive. Without spoiling anything, I can tell you that Huler discovers that Francis Beaufort did not write the version of the scale that Huler fell in love with. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in meteorology, surveying, the ocean, sailing tall ships, history, or the use of language in science. Random thought: I wonder if this would be a good book to give to a teenage writer or artist who doesn't see the benefit of taking science and math classes in high school?

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where science and art meet, August 24, 2004

By	Kathleen F. Anderson "One who loves to read" (Bearsville, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a thoroughly engaging true-life detective story. The author, Scott Huler, was struck by the poetic beauty of the Beaufort Scale, a way to determine the force and velocity of the wind by how it moves objects, i.e. "small trees in leaf begin to sway - MPH 19-24 - Name, fresh breeze - Beaufort # 5. He set out to discover the art of Sir Francis Beaufort. Through his search he shines a light on the what the essence of poetry is and the fact that nothing is born of itself.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great read, October 26, 2004

By	A Reader (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

I greatly enjoyed this book. It is a vivid introduction into the life of times of Admiral Beaufort, and the history of defining the wind. This book was well worth the money and the time to read it. It awakens in the reader the spirit of discovery and exploration that imbued Beauforts age. Mr. Huler gets a bit sentimental about his subject which detracts a bit from the story (hence 4 not 5 starts). Bottom line: you'll enjoy it.