Buy Used
Used - Very Good See details
Price: £2.40
Fulfilled by Amazon

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 
See 1 customer image
Share your own customer images
Search inside another edition of this book
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

The Cloudspotter's Guide [Hardcover]

Gavin Pretor-Pinney (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover --   -- --
Paperback £6.89   -- --
Books Trade-In
Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more.

Book Description

Release Date: 18 April 2006
'The clouds are nature's poetry, and the most egalitarian of her displays, since everyone has an equally fantastic view of them. Clouds are for dreamers, and their contemplation benefits the soul. Yet their beauty is so everyday as to be in danger of being overlooked ...'

Gavin Pretor Pinney is the chairman and founder member of the Cloud Appreciation Society. He contends that we are blessed in this country with a uniquely rich and varied cloudscape, which has hitherto been sadly undervalued. His book teaches us to appreciate their different varieties – the cumulus, nimbostratus and Morning Glory to name only a few – and all their beauties and significances, both meteorological and cultural. We learn how Hindus believed the cumulus clouds were the spiritual cousins of elephants, how thermal air currents act on fair weather cumuli, and how to save a fortune in psychiatric bills by using the clouds as Rorschach images that reflect our state of mind as well as nature’s moods.

Looking up will never be the same again.

Product details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Sceptre; First Edition / Sixth Impression edition (18 April 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0340895896
  • ISBN-13: 978-0340895894
  • Product Dimensions: 2.8 x 13.6 x 20.7 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 233,922 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Gavin Pretor-Pinney Page
Gavin Pretor-Pinney
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Product Description

Review

‘A lovely book, the sort that everybody should have in the car or on the kitchen windowsill’

(Daily Telegraph )

‘His style is genial, his enthusiasm uplifting and his book nothing less than a subtle but glorious mantra for a way of life.’

(Metro )

‘Read this eye-opening and amusingly written book and you will realise that beautiful as they are clouds are not just put there for decoration, they are truly awesome things.’

(Daily Mail )

‘Eloquent and engaging…Beautiful illustrations, photos and diagrams throughout, which show how spectacular the sights can be for the ardent cloudspotter.’

(Financial Times )

About the Author

Gavin Pretor Pinney is co-founder, with Tom Hodgkinson, of The Idler magazine and contributor to Crap Towns. As head, together with Tom, of Idle Industries, he has worked on creative development for clients including the Guardian and Channel 4. He has degrees in philosophy and graphic design from Oxford and St Martin's respectively, and in August 2004 became chairman and founder member of the Cloud Appreciation Society.
See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

› Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
160 of 168 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly erudite but accessible nevertheless 7 May 2006
By Charles
Format:Hardcover
This book was not quite what I expected in that I thought that it would be a largely pictorial guide to clouds. In fact it's quite textual with a relatively small number of illustrations considering that it's over 300 pages long.

There is a small colour section and I would have liked to have seen the other pictures reproduced in colour also rather than in monochrome which has sometimes come out as rather flattish and lacking contrast.

That said, it's an intelligently written guide not only to the types and appearances of clouds but also to the whys and wherefores of how each type forms and what it signifies in climatic terms. Although quite scientific in places it is also filled with lighter comments and observations.

It's entirely possible to appreciate the beauty of clouds without knowing anything about the processes behind their formation but I would recommend the book to any thinking reader who wishes to be informed in better depth about what they see in the sky and why it's there.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for a train ride 21 Jan 2007
By Vinny
Format:Hardcover
I enjoyed this... and I am still not quite sure why! It is a quirky idea and one that is well executed. I fear it may give rise to a load of copy-cat nooks for similarly obtuse and marginal subjects, flooding Waterstones at Xmas. But this one will remain the first of that tribe. Printed and presented in an exquisite way and written in an informative and jokey manner. This is a great companion to a train journey, looking out the window at passing clouds. Sometimes it gets a bit heavy... (there are simply so many clouds and so much science)... but that shouldnt stop the enjoyment of an innovative book!
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
91 of 96 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars I nearly crashed my car thanks to this book! 1 Oct 2006
By R. A. Collins
Format:Hardcover
Witty, amusing, informative, and a fascinating read, is how I would describe this book. I loved it. I'm not even sure what attracted me to it in the first place; I think perhaps I couldn't imagine that anyone could write a whole book about clouds.

I used to admire the sky but only usually as a passenger on a train or in a car, or while sitting at the park watching my son on the swings and even then only half-heartedly. Now I am transfixed by the movements up there. The sky is truly spectacular. Why didn't I realise this before? Now I need to stop myself from gazing heavenwards while driving my car.

My only criticism of the book would be that the last chapter about the Morning Glory cloud doesn't seem to flow with the rest of the book probably because it was originally a separate article.

I loved the idea of taking a test after reading the book (placed in the middle pages). I didn't do too well though as my Latin spelling is appalling.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?   Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Clear blue
A very interesting insight into cloud watching of which I was totally ignorant, has allowed me to appreciate
and experience the wonder of nature.
Published 1 month ago by G. J. Hircombe
4.0 out of 5 stars Cloud Watcher read this book you should try it
If you like clouds you can get the names out of this books. Information and lot sof it. Read it
Cloud watcher
Published 2 months ago by Rebecca
2.0 out of 5 stars Too balck and white
I am disappointed. There should have been more colour in this book and it's a litle too technical for my requirements. A simpler (Observer Book of Clouds?? Read more
Published 3 months ago by aln elliott
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
A really good read and with detailed explanations you`ll be happy to go around with your head in the clouds. Buy it.
Published 4 months ago by Mr. R. Croft
5.0 out of 5 stars Cloudspottin" Mania
Gavin P.P's book is the best...I see clouds for what they are now...they're everywhere...I can tell in tv shows the Directors who have read this book and now I have something else... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Ruby Ruff
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and entertaining
I love this book. It's beautifully written, quirky and very entertaining. It would be nice to have a longer colour section in the middle but you can access these pictures from the... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Stuart Paterson
3.0 out of 5 stars Head in the clouds
An easy going look at meteorology, clouds in particular. They are things that we all see most days. So was quite interesting to find out a bit more about them. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mr. Gary M. Stocker
3.0 out of 5 stars Greatest Show on Earth, but not here
"The Greatest Free Show on Earth is Right Above Your Head" is what I always told my children. Thankfully they too have come to enjoy the delight that is above our heads every day,... Read more
Published 17 months ago by The Seeker
5.0 out of 5 stars A lover of clouds...
This book is one of my all time favourite books! I had it in paperback format, but simply had to get a hardcover for my collection too! Read more
Published 20 months ago by Jopha
4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely Read
I heard of this from the Cloudspotters Appreciation Society. I found this to be a brilliant book. The ONLY down point is the lack of photos. Read more
Published 20 months ago by JoeUK
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

There's a problem loading this menu at the moment.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.

    Your Shopping Basket is empty.

    Give it purpose -- fill it with books, DVDs, clothes, electronics and more.

    If you already have an account, sign in.

    There's a problem previewing your shopping basket at the moment.

    Check your Internet connection and go to your cart, or try again.

    View Shopping Basket (0 items)

      Customer Discussions

      This product's forum
      Discussion Replies Latest Post
      No discussions yet

      Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
      Start a new discussion
      Topic:
      First post:
      Prompts for sign-in
       

      Search Customer Discussions
      Search all Amazon discussions
         

      Listmania!

      Create a Listmania! list

      Look for similar items by category

      Feedback