The Invention of Clouds: How an Amateur Meteorologist Forged the Language of the Skies Paperback – August 3, 2002

As a scientific researcher studying clouds, I really enjoyed this historical overview. It is beautifully written and gives a good sense of the times and characters that helped shape modern atmospheric science. Highly recommend to those both with and without technical background.

Davy, Newton, Marconi, Babbage, Ben Franklin, John Bartram, Fitzroy, Admiral Beaufort with his storm scale, Flavio Gioja with the gimballed compass, John Harrison and his efforts to build a practical chronometer to give us Longitude, Maury and his paths across the seas ... what giants walked the earth then. And now we add the name of yet another dissenter, Luke Howard whose brilliance gave us the nomenclature of clouds and Meteorology.Giants of the Royal Society, a great story, well written and researched and charmingly presented with illustrations that make clear why this research and conclusion on the weather is so important .. and not just to English either!

Richard Hamblyn does an immaculate job of painting the picture of the world of almost two hundred years ago, opening with the presentation room as it must have appeared to Luke Howard, the inventor of our current system of naming clouds. He takes what has since come to be a dull and pedantic topic and re-invigorates it with the Victorian Zeitgeist, including quotes from Goethe, passages from Howard's diary, and the unfortunate results of political infighting among society-academics unrivalled since the age of Newton and Voltaire. The book is also beautifully presented in a half-height format suitable for either the coffee table or the reference shelf. Bravo!

A wonderfully evocative account of an extraordinary scientist, living in a time where knowledge and discovery was celebrated and embraced by all. A book to make you look up at the sky and smile.

As a teaching scientist my students and I daily observe and report clouds as part of the international GLOBE program and local meteorology. It is not enough to know the 10 basic cloud types. This provides the detailed language, history and evolution of our systematic understanding of clouds, wind and atmospheric phenomenah - not found in meteorology, climatology or geography texts and encyclopedia - and provides a foundation of systematic understanding across many disciplines and many countries over 350+ years. A good read that stays in the mind.

Had to read this book for class. I really wanted to rip my eyes out so I could get out of reading this. Total garbage and waste of my life.

Read for a class and was a fascinating read. The book was very well written and extremely informative. Anyone who ever looks up on a cloudy day should read this book.

This book is very informative, & who doesn't marvel at the beautiful, ever changing clouds in the sky... I love knowing more about Luke Howard and how he came up with the names we use today.

The Invention of Clouds is a superbly written, fascinating account of the naming of clouds by English Quaker, Luke Howard. I now look at clouds with fresh eyes; I am thrilled that I can now name the clouds and understand some of the mechanisms that underpin their transitions as they morph from one form to another, just as Mr Howard did over 200 years ago. I will always be grateful to Richard Hamblyn for taking the time to research this aspect of science history and to write The Invention of Clouds. World Books' service was fast and friendly.

Very interesting book. Read it over Chrismas with much deligght.Would order again from this seller.

Absolutely superb - history, science, everythingin this book.

Insightful