Heaven's Breath: A Natural History of the Wind
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Book Overview
A "comprehensive and fascinating study" of how wind has shaped the world as we know it, affecting all aspects of human and natural life--from geography to political history, plant life to psychology, and biology to philosophy (The Observer) Wind is everywhere and nowhere. Wind is the circulatory system of the earth, and its nervous system, too. Energy and information flow through it. It brings warmth and water, enriches and strips away the soil, aerates the globe. Wind shapes the lives of animals, humans among them. Trade follows the path of the wind, as empire also does. Wind made the difference in wars between the Greeks and Persians, the Mongols and the Japanese. Wind helped to destroy the Spanish Armada. And wind is no less determining of our inner lives: the f?hn, mistral, sirocco, Santa Ana, and other "ill winds" of the world are correlated with disease, suicide, and even murder. Heaven's Breath is an encyclopedic and enchanting book that opens dazzling new perspectives on history, nature, and humanity.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:1681373696
ISBN13:9781681373690
Release Date:August 2019
Publisher:New York Review of Books
Length:400 Pages
Weight:0.95 lbs.
Dimensions:0.9" x 5.1" x 8.0"
Customer Reviews
4 ratings
Inspiring
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
I read this book years ago while kayaking in the Sea of Cortez. The winds were always on our minds, determining when we could paddle, when we would go to shore...how much sand was in our rice and fish. The book was a wonderful and interesting examination of more aspects of wind than I could have imagined. I would recommend the book to anyone interested in thinking about why things are the way they are in our natural world.
The Book That Wanted You to Find It
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
You find a book by chance, just cruising the shelves at the library, the evocative title makes you pick it up. You fall in love with it. It inspires you to write a poem. You return it. Then you forget the author, the title -- key word searches come up with nothing. You've lost it. You would be haunted by a book like this.And so ten years later when you happened upon it at Half-Price books, it was like finding a ring that you'd thought would be lost forever.I adore this scientific, philosophical, endearing, poetic, book.
A natural read
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
By rhythm, content, and just plain curious facts this is one of the best nature books around. Whether the discussion is of the winds of Jupiter or the winds of the Sahara, Watson is consistently engaging and erudite. Don't miss the appendix with the best list of winds from around the world, including Foehn, Zephyr, Sirrocco and Santa Ana.
It's hands-down the best text book I ever read.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
It covers everything about the wind you can imagine, and then some. Required reading for the seasoned meteorologist and the weather-watching dabbler alike. Not only powerfully informative but an extemely intriguing and pleasurable read. One of my top ten all time favorite books.
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