by Cynthia Barnett
Pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. This is a history, not a science, text. But as a history of rain, it's 100% more interesting than a book on rain would generally sound. Filled with anecdotes that bring the history to life, and raise it a notch above a dry (ha!) academic narrative, onc...
Cynthia Barnett's Rain begins four billion years ago with the torrents that filled the oceans, and builds to the storms of climate change. It weaves together science—the true shape of a raindrop, the mysteries of frog and fish rains—with the human story of our ambition to control rain, from ancient ...
Why ever did I decide to read a book about rain? It's not as if there isn't enough rain already where I live (although there's said to be extreme drought in my region compared to other years, I've seemed to have failed to notice this change). However, it turned out to be a very good decision since i...
Some interesting bits and pieces, but generally too wishy-washy and USA-centric. Not enough science, too much story telling.
Rain: A Natural History weaves together planetary science, geology, early earth history, meteorology, human history, cultural studies, travel stories, and even poetry into an entertaining and fascinating account of rain and our relationship to it. The book is beautifully written--vivid, sometimes hu...
This is one of those titles that as soon as I saw it, I wondered why this hasn't been done before. Rain captivates us... a book about it would be lovely! And it is. As the subtitle promises, it includes cultural as well as natural points. The best references are to literature and music. The bes...
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