Product Description
"Raintree Freestyle" is a range of colourful non-fiction books for the less able or reluctant reader aged between 11 and 14 with a reading age of 8 and 9 years old. They offer curriculum-linked topics at an appropriate reading level. Featuring dramatic examples from all over the world, "Turbulent Planet" looks at extreme, dangerous or problematic aspects of the shaping of the earth's surface. Each title examines the causes and effects of each event, how the damage could have been reduced or even prevented, and the precautions to take in one of these situations. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
Provides information about hurricanes and tornadoes, such as where and when they occur, how they form, and the damage they can cause. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (25)

Author of Big Weather Responds to Charles Doswell
I don't know why it's taken me so long to get around to doing this, but here goes. I wrote Big Weather and am bemused but not surprised by the intellectually dishonest review by Charles Doswell III, who, as a university professor, should know better than to start with an attack ad hominem, the lowest form of argument--he calls me a carpet-bagger. Things don't improve from there. It's not a review. It's a psuedo-review, a personal attack posing as a review, which is just one of the reasons why it's dishonest.

I wrote Big Weather because I was curious about why, as a culture, we seem so fascinated by catastrophic weather. I wanted to know why it was that a company like The Weather Channel could exist in the first place. I was following a line of thought first developed in 1962 by Daniel Boorstin, in his book The Image: A Guide to Psuedo-Events in America, in which Boorstin warns about a great menace that was emerging then in American culture. He used that word, "menace," and the menace wasn't poverty or war or class division, or anything like that. It was, as he called it, "unreality." The problem of "unreality" in our culture. He identified three areas in culture that are not prone to advertising or political manipulation--the first was crime reporting, the second was sports, and the third was the weather. The weather has become for us a base-line measure for what's real. You can create a company like The Weather Channel, which spins the weather to a fare-the-well, but if a storm decides to wipe the Weather Channel off the earth, there's nothing anyone can do about it. It's the unreal that gives us so much trouble, that seems to be something it isn't, that seems to be spontaneous but turns out to have been orchestrated for other reasons, much like Charles Doswell's "review," for instance.

My point is this: I wrote Big Weather because I was pursuing a line of intellectual and artistic thought that meant something important to me, personally, and seemed to touch many other people as well, not just those who were drawn, like me to the center of the United States to witness large storms. I found it strange that we seemed so fixated by catastrophic weather, on the one hand, but couldn't seem to get off the dime about climate change (this was in 2004). I know weather isn't the same thing as climate, but global warming seemed to be just about the biggest big weather story of them all. I had to address it at some point and to address the campaign of mis-information about global warming that was waged so successfully by the Bush Administration. Doing that really seemed to annoy some reviewers of this book. Wow. Struck a nerve, did I? The truth, of course, came out soon after the publication of my book, that Bush administration political appointees, many with no scientific credentials, doctored or edited scientific reports, slowed down research, and created a smoke screen in the debate about global warming.The book also was and is an inquiry into how the sublime, the terrifying disorienting force of nature, in this case, attracts us, still speaks to us, from across the centuries. I was, also, interested in reporting a debased kind of sublime as well--a commodified sublime which I called "catastrophilia."Anyway, I hope you can see that my motives were good. And if it sounds too bookish and brainy, well, I filled Big Weather with enough chasing and other forms of malarkey to keep me amused, at any rate, and I hope you as well. Four years later, I'm still very, very proud of this book and, aside from a few silly mistakes that inevitably escape one's best effort to be as accurate as possible, I stand by everything that I say in it.

The field of severe storm weather is filled with wonderful and fascinating people, but it's not big enough, it seems, to allow me and Charles Doswell's ego to coexist. Now we're getting closer to the truth, I suspect. Too bad his psuedo-review is the first thing you see when you inquire into Big Weather. Try reading the actual book. I'm not saying this because it's going to make me any money. It won't. The book's long out of print. But you can still get it and read it, either in the library or through a used book store on Amazon, or elsewhere. Give it a try. There's plenty to keep you engaged, but if you're looking only for entertainment without reflection, then I'll be the first to suggest that you try another book instead.

Mark Svenvold

Big Weather, Big Disappointment
I am fortunate in that I did not actually spend money on this book.I do not know about the poetic aspects of the book, but I do know that the author treated many of the people in this book insultingly.I skipped around a bit thinking that perhaps only the beginning would be colored by condescension but remained disappointed.If you want a good book that exposes the relationships between big weather and the people who live through it read F5 by Mark Levine.If you want a good book about big weather read any book other than the one this review is about.

Poetic prose, wide ranging topics
Big Weather is a lot about weather and a little about weather, all at the same time. How come? Because Mark Svenvold can describe physical phenomena in prose approaching poetry, and the topic allows him to introduce the reader to multiple other venues.
The title attracts those of us who need to deal with weather. I fly light airplanes and taught weather as a major chapter in aviation ground school class curricula. Even so, tornadoes are a fish pilots do not swim with. We race the other way, like herring trying to fly when the whales arrive to corral them with air bubbles. So on a daily basis, pilots need to know more about, for example, the Current Icing Potential on the ADDS Web, or the convective SIGMETS, which describe the wide range of turbulence generators.
But whatever makes you open Big Weather, you will find, in the first paragraph of page one, the rich ability of a poet to describe the factual in impressionistic ways.
A few pages later, you will meet Matt Biddle, his hero.
And it keeps getting better. Want to know about Chaos?Svenvold will tell you about Lorenz, and then you can read James Gleick.
His mention ofHeisenberg might remind you that Werner was once asked if he had any questions for God. He responded "Yes, I will ask him to explain relativity and turbulence, and I think he will be able to explain relativity".
Or, when Svenvold brings up Pliny the Elder, describing a vortex, you can pick up John Mc Phee's "Control of Nature" and read how Pliny dropped dead when Vesuvius erupted under his nose.
Think tornadoes are all violence? Svenvold will connect you with their sublime elements, and with Dionysius Longinus, sublime's first champion.
Science, art, science, literature, science, psychology, geography, history, philosophy. On and on it goes.
Elmer Mc Curdy is another good yarn. Get that too.

Fascinating topic, ho-hum execution
In "Big Weather," Mark Svenvold recalls the time he spent in 2004 tagging along with veteran storm chaser Matt Biddle.The book is meant to be about storm chaser culture and associated elements, but uneven storytelling mars what would otherwise be a very cool book.

Svenvold is a poet-in-residence at Fordham University, and it shows.In some cases (such as Chapter 4: Catastrophilia), it shows a little too much.When Svenvold is talking about being on a chase, or the people who are part of and/or affected by chase culture, he's great.When he tries to get flowery, it bogs down the book.I'm sure there was a point to Chapter 4; I just wish he had gotten to it sooner, with a clear path to it.

And that's the overall problem with "Big Weather."For a topic that is, at its essence, unpredictable, crazy, and hold-your-breath heart stopping, he doesn't always convey that.I know that there's a lot of waiting associated with chasing, but Svenvold made storm chasing seem downright dreamy.I think the book would have been better if he had stuck with the journalistic, straight-to-the-point style he used when describing different chase events.

I don't agree with other reviewers that say he is anti-Christian, anti-Bush, or anti-other chasers.I think he was just trying to be objective while observing the people who not only live in Tornado Alley, but are also residents of the Bible Belt.Perhaps the book would have been less offensive if he had been more objective, but I don't think that's his style.

One place where I did think he was offensive (or at least borderline) was his constant referral to the people in the chasing industry as "geeks" or "dorks."I wasn't sure if that was an in-joke he was repeating or if he was being purposely derogatory.

I think, in a way, this was meant to be Svenvold's "expose" type book, just like recent bestsellers "The Nanny Diaries" or "The Devil Wears Prada," except, of course, he didn't try to gloss his experiences by hiding them in fiction.It might have been a more interesting read if he did.

Overall, it's worth checking it out from the library.But there are better memoirs out there that are worth savoring and keeping.

Supposed to be About WEATHER
Big Weather?WRONG!!!!This guy covers philosophy, map making,religion, his philosophical ideas to the point of nausea, old world history, pages & pages about Mary MacLane, oh yeah, and almost as an afterthought there are some pages about weather & chasing.But still laced with his philosophy.
NOT a book for anyone except maybe self styled "intellectuals" ... Read more

Product Description
"This is a must-read for students and meteorologists."--David Thurlow, Host and Executive Producer of The Weather Notebook radio show

A fascinating look at extreme weather and the men and women who are risking their lives to give us a better understanding of this meteorological phenomenon. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

An exhilarating history of meteorology
Did you ever wonder why the meteorologists who appeared before General Eisenhower in 1944, were able to tell him it would be possible invade Europe on June 6th?

"Eye of the Storm" is a good anecdotal and scientific history of the people who made the successful D-Day weather forecast possible. It ultimately takes its readers to the end of the 20th century, and the technology of satellites and computers.

This author explains how the Wright Brothers and other early 20th century aviators gave meteorology a new kick-start after it had begun to languish at the borders of 19th century technology, e.g. the telegraph and lighter-than-air balloons and zeppelins.But to me, the most amazing chapters in this book deal with the inventiveness and persistence of the 18th and 19th century meteorologists. Much of the theory behind weather forecasting came from their observations.

As a trivial but fascinating example, the largest snowflake on record, a whopping 15 inches in diameter, was reported in the nineteenth century--you can see a photograph of this snowflake at the Guinness World Records site.It fell on Montana in January, 1887 and its discoverer described it as being "larger than milk pans" in the "Monthly Weather Review" magazine.

(Imagine sticking out your tongue and having one of those babies landing on it.)

More importantly, the author also describes how 19th century observers began mapping the motion, pressure changes, and cloud formations associated with weather fronts and storms.They were both organized (via publications and ultimately, telegraph lines) and fascinated by the chaotic phenomena in the skies above them.

Or was weather completely chaotic?

Modern meteorology actually began back in the eighteenth century with Benjamin Franklin and his kite, key, and lightning rod.Like today's storm-chasers, Franklin had a passion for experiencing weather first-hand, and once he rode alongside a dust-devil on a Maryland trail, describing the bottom as "'not bigger than a common barrel,' but at its top, 50 feet high, it flared out to 20 or 30 feet wide."

Daring French and British 'aerologists' went up in silk and paper balloons, measuring altitude with their barometers and also by their own physical reactions:"He knew he was at about 17,000 feet when his lips turned blue, at 19,000 feet when his hands became dark blue, and at 22,000 feet when his heart was audible."

Those 19th century meteorologists felt it was essential to get up where the weather was, and Lord Kelvin, one of the founders of thermodynamics, helped them explain some of their more puzzling discoveries, such as temperature inversions and the energy of storms.

When the Age of Aviation arrived, meteorology already had a good theoretical and observational foundation."Eye of the Storm" takes us close to the end of the twentieth century and the meteorological discoveries that have led to a greater understanding of what Jeffrey Rosenfeld calls the 'ultimate storm,' i.e. hurricanes.The final chapter returns to the 'awesome chaos' of thunderstorms and some of the new discoveries of what goes on in the atmosphere above the dark, roiling clouds where Benjamin Franklin first flew his kite and key.

This book contains just enough dense patches of meteorological theory to require another read-through before I can begin to understand some of the author's more complex explanations of weather phenomena.I did acquire a great deal of admiration for the theoreticians, 'aerologists,' and storm-chasers, who made those theories possible.

Informative but Ho-Hum
"Eye of the Storn" is not nearly as exciting as its cover or title would suggests.It is essentially a history of storm forcasting going all the way back to Ben Franklin's time.And while it is informative, it lacks the type of thilling narrative in its weather stories that one would expect.Most of the stories are taken from other books or magazine/newspaper articles.And unfortunately, the author makes at least one serious error by repeating the long standing falsehood that meteorolgist Issac Cline rode up and down the beach on horseback to warn residents of Galveston of the approaching 1900 hurricane.This is a myth, dispelled by the far superior book "Issac's Storm," that just won't die.

Overall, "Eye of the Storm" has plenty of historical information, but the reading is unlikely to have the pulse quickening effect of even a mild spring thunderstorm.

Great reading on a stormy day
What great timing! As we watch in awe pictures of the damage and destruction caused by the Spring tornadoes in Oklahoma, the "EYE of the STORM" comes along to explain the painstakingly detaileddevelpoment of scientific research of these powerful storms. In a welldocumented and entertainly written study, one can gain a betterunderstanding of the weather about us and from whence it comes. ... Read more

Product Description

Are you prepared for a hurricane that turns your home into rubble? An earthquake that leaves you and your family without shelter, food, or water? A flood that makes your home unlivable? Most people don't want to think about those things until it's too late.

Ted Wright, who came of age in London during the Blitz of World War II, has extensive experience dealing with natural and man made disasters. He knows most problems occur after the disaster, not during it, and tells how to plan beforehand to enhance the chances of surviving the aftermath.

This book covers a variety of possible disasters and considers almost any place one might happen to be when it strikes. In all cases, advance planning combined with relatively inexpensive preparations will greatly enhance your chances of survival, whether you are caught at home (including mobile homes and condos), at work, at school, or on the road. It even has a special distaster plan that elementary, juniour high, or high schools should not be without.

With dozens of drawings and ideas, including food torpedoes, quake-resistant shelters, medicine chests, and water-storage trenches, this survival manual will be a life-saver for anyone caught in a major disaster.

Customer Reviews (7)

Wright's Complete Disaster Survival Manual

This is a down-to-earth (I see the pun) look at surviving earthquakes while at home, in your car, at school, at work, and so forth. The author recommends a minimum of five days' supply of food and water per person, kept in your automobile and stored outside your house, buried or stored in an earthquake stable shed. He advises schools to have the same for all their staff and students. Earthquake survivors must be prepared to survive without professional help, to rescue and care for the injured around them, to camp and live in their backyards or the school grounds until conditions change, and in that outdoor environment to provide for the critical needs of health and sanitation. The book is a warning of what can occur and of what preparations and actions must be done in order survive the aftermath of an earthquake. It does not address the need for self-protection against violence or what to do when the food and water run out.

The author grew up in WWII Britain and experienced the devastation of the German bombings. His approach to earthquake survival sees the earthquake like a surprise bombing raid, coming without warning and with devastating effect. The danger of flying glass, falling objects, collapsing roofs and walls is ever present. It is the fundamental fact around which life must be structured. Large windows, overhead lighting and high stocked shelves represent danger, not convenience or comfort, and one should be wary of them. The need for durable clothing and shoes, the need to break out from a damaged vehicle or to crawl out from under debris, the need for water and food and first-aid and essential medication is absolute and unconditional. Without the ready-to-hand preparation for these needs one cannot survive. Because an earthquake comes without warning, these needs are constant and must inform one's very lifestyle.

Readers not in danger of earthquakes may find the book mostly irrelevant. The author occasionally attempts vaguely to refer his advise to other natural disasters, but his overriding concern is, without question, earthquake survival.

great title and content
it is a weel writen book, even that the title is about earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, etc, it is most focused on earthquakes and the other scenarios are basic covered.
This books covers about how to prepare for a disaster and increase your survival chances

Pros:
*The way the book is writen, very friendly. logically writen from start with basic things to more focused scenarios.
* easy to read and put in real perspective what situations you can find in case of a disaster.
*Explains how some desicions affects your and your families's survival chances.
*cover almost all sitautions you can find yourself in case of disaster and what to do and don't (at home, at your car, workplace, etc).
*List basic items(food, tools, etc) needed to be prepared for survival at many disaster scenarios and live better than the average after the disaster.
*Includes Facts and Myths

Cons:
Basically i did not find any, but it would be great to have an internet link to download a basic exel file with the items listed in the book, so you can modify it according to your needs and posiblities.

In general is a book fun to read and informative. Recommended.

Awesome Resource
What an incredibly useful book. I don't know what some of the other reviewers were reading, but it wasn't this work. I didn't see anything about weird medical advice. I did find it chock full of very useful, pertinent information. Having lived through the Northridge quake, I know what this man says is true. The simple-to-follow procedures make so much sense and are very practical.

Not "complete" but still important info.
Even though there are mistakes and various ctiticisms about this book, Mr. Wright has prepared an important resource for those wishing to be better prepared for "the big one". I found that it was not "complete" but still valuable reading, even ten years later.

None of us want to think about disasters, but they still happen. After reading this book I immediately made "72 hour kits" or "mobility bags" for every member of the family. I have one in the car along with a cheap crow-bar under the seat. I am making a kit for work and even gave them away as Christmas presents!

It is my intention to stock a few critical supplies in a safe place in my yard in case the house collapses and my supplies are not safely reachable. This I do because of this book. I believe this book should be evaluated by every family, and some of the ideas about schools should be addressed by teachers, PTA members and legislators throughout the country. Great food for thought. Great food for action. Thank you Mr. Wright.

Excellent Book.
In the event of an emergency, natural or manmade, you would be on your own. This book provides a very concise and clear-cut plan to not only prepare for emergencies, but to survive them and live in a relative degree of comfort as well afterwards.

Mr. Wright survived disasters in his long life, starting with his boyhood in war-torn Britain. Unlike other authors, who pontificate on theories and feelings, but who never lived through a disaster, Mr. Wright offers hard advice that may sound harsh and unappealing, but useful nonetheless.

If you're a realist, and a practical sort, buy this book and share it with those whom you love. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
Discusses the nature, causes, and dangers of tornadoes, tornadoes of the past, and ways to survive them. ... Read more

Product Description

What is the coldest place on Earth? How many kinds of clouds are there? Why do rainbows form? You've got questions about weather, and Kids' Questions has answers!
... Read more

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Davy Crockett could run faster, jump higher, and dive deeper than any man in Tennessee. This all-American folktale is "just right for introducing primary-grade readers to an American legend."--The Reading Teacher. Full-color illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Tall tales that are a lot of fun
I checked this book out from my local library and it was an instant hit with my 6 year old son, and with me too.We've read it every night for a week at his request so we're buying our own copy.The title makes it clear that this is not a typical story that tells one tale from start to end, but it's a collection of tales: the narrow escapes of Davy Crockett.It even spells out the various animals and things that the tales are about.It may not have seamless transitions, but this, for us, in no way detracts from the enjoyment of the book.The back of the title page notes that "Most of the stories and some of the original language come from the Crockett Almanacs, published between 1835 and 1856."For me, the story should be judged not just on the flow between the tall tales, but on the fact that it captures the flavor of the time period it is based on, and that it captures the imagination of young readers.I also enjoy the illustrations and think that art is a matter of personal reaction, you either like it or you don't.I recommend this book for adventurous young kids who can relate to feeling like they are the biggest, strongest, fastest, everything-est there ever was.It's a fun book!

So-So Book - a review of "The Narrow Escapes of Davy Crockett"
"There never was anyone like Davy
Crockett.By the time he was eight years
old he weighed two hundred pounds with
his shoes off, his feet clean, and his
stomach empty."

This books starts off very promising (see above) but then flounders.For one thing, the stories run together without titles or other demarcation.After reading it through once you figure that out, but it is still an awkward and annoying feature.

For example, in describing a scene in which Davy is being hauled out of a hollow tree by a bear, the last sentence is;

The bear was sore behind, and fled before
Davy could thank it for the ride!"

This is the last sentence on the page and it is not at clear that it is the last sentence of the story.The next sentence on the following page is; "Davy was exhausted, so he sat down, rested his head in the fork of a young tree...."

Sounds reasonable that ole Davy might be tired after wrestling with a bearBUT it is a different story.Arggh.

Three Stars.[C-] Artwork not so good.Stories run together and are not in the clearest prose.Three stars because I have not found another text that offers any of these tall Americana tales which I think are valuable for young children. ... Read more

Product Description
Details the series of destructive tornadoes that struck the American Midwest during the span of several hours in April 1991, causing severe damage in several states. ... Read more

Product Description
Perfect for reluctant readers who are curious about the destructive power of planet Earth, or who are researching a science paper. The Natural Disasters series explains how and why natural disasters occur, and how to stay safe if the reader should experience one. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good Book for Kids Learning to Read and at a Midlevel
Tornadoes is a great book for kids learning to read and desire to read about a sophisticated topic.It keeps them engaged and reading so they can read more complex books later on.

High-interest and low level
This is a great high-interest and low-level reading book and series. The books are small with large print and about 50 pages long with lots of pictures. They aren't exhaustive for the topics covered, but they give a great deal of information by being concise when you consider the book's size. Special features are Did you know... fact insets, a map, glossary, list of other resources, and an index. After an attention-getting introduction, the chapters start off with a atory about a particular incident and then go into the content of the chapter. Difficult words are also explained in parentheses besides being in the glossary. In this book, the three chapters cover how tornadoes form and what types there are, how tornadoes move and measuring them, and studying tornadoes to be able to predict them and give warnings. The map in this book shows the worst tornadoes in US history. Elementary and middle school students will benefit from these books. Even high school students might find them a nice change of pace from the thick books they normally use for research. ... Read more

Product Description
An introduction to the storms sometimes known as twisters, including how and where they occur, the damage they can do, and some of the worst tornadoes in recorded history. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Great Factoids
Many little tid-bits were clarified with this book.It is packed fully of useful and trivial information, that it is sure to facinate even the non-meteorologically inclined person. I for one never could figure out howsome mountain trees looked the way the do but after reading #588 it allmade sense to me. ... Read more

Product Description
Discover the raw power of Mother Nature!

Every day, the weather seems to be increasingly severe and unpredictable, ensuring that it remains the biggest topic of conversation. The Everything® Weather Book provides you with the perfect introduction to the complexities of weather, focusing on how it develops, what causes severe weather, how global warming affects us, and much more.

Whether you’re interested in learning a few little-known facts to impress your friends over dinner or are in the process of becoming an amateur meteorologist, The Everything® Weather Book has all you need to know to understand the hows and whys of everyday weather.

Featuring dozens of photographs, The Everything® Weather Book teaches you about:

-Cloud formations

-Flash floods and monsoons

-Forecasting

-Rainbows

-The Greenhouse Effect

-Thunder and lightning

-Tornadoes and hurricanes ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wow!
Yeah. After reading the 16 Minutes From Home book I picked this one up (not at Amazon sorry). Man it told me more about weather than I thought possible - and I'm a natural science buff. It's easy to read and is along the line of a "xxx For Dummies" type of thing. I was hooked after I read his introduction in the front. He's obviously a big weather buff. A friend of mine in Raleigh said he give lectures at the NC Museum of Natural History (possibly NC M. of Science I no longer recall) and is funny to boot. I didn't read it front to back, but skipped around a bit. Starting with (wait for it) Hurricanes! If you need a quick reference book for weather, this thing is a good pick. I'm not sure what else is out there as I never bought a book only about weather before this one and tend to read articles online about it. But this book seems like a winner. ... Read more