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Fritz Agency
Christian Dittus
Original language
English

18 MILES

Christopher Dewdney

The Epic Drama of Our Atmosphere and Its Weather

From the bestselling author of Acquainted with the Night comes a brilliant and witty look at our favourite topic — weather
We live at the bottom of an ocean of air — 5,200 million million tons, to be exact. It sounds like a lot, but Earth's atmosphere is smeared onto its surface in an alarmingly thin layer — 99 percent contained within eighteen miles. Yet within this fragile margin lies a magnificent realm — at once gorgeous, terrifying, capricious, and elusive. With his keen eye for identifying and uniting seemingly unrelated events, Chris Dewdney reveals to us the invisible rivers in the sky that affect how our weather works and the structure of clouds and storms and seasons, the rollercoaster of climate. Dewdney details the history of weather forecasting and introduces us to the eccentric and determined pioneers of science and observation whose efforts gave us the understanding of weather we have today.

18 Miles is a kaleidoscopic and fact-filled journey that uncovers our obsession with the atmosphere and weather — as both evocative metaphor and physical reality. From the roaring winds of Katrina to Palladio's architectural triumph, La Rotonda, Dewdney entertains as he gives readers a long overdue look at the very air we breathe.

Christopher Dewdney, author of The Immaculate Perception, Last Flesh, Acquainted with the Night, and Soul of the World, among others, has been nominated for the Governor-General's Award for Literature four times. He lives in Toronto and teaches at York University.
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Published 2018-10-01 by ECW Press

Comments

This terrific, accessible, and exciting read helps us to better understand the aspects of weather and the atmosphere all around us. (starred review) Read more...

With wit and a humbling sense of wonder, this is a book that can be shared and appreciated by a wide audience who now religiously check their phones for daily forecasts. (starred review) Read more...

As the author of 11 volumes of poetry, Dewdney brings a distinctive lyrical quality and playful wit to his prose that's missing from most mainstream science books. Read more...

Impressively informative, exceptionally well written, organized and presented, 18 Miles is a critically important and unreservedly recommended addition to community and academic library Contemporary Science collections in general. Read more...

UK: Bloomsbury; China: Fantasee Media;

Dewdney has written a complex, entertaining and highly informative book that rivals the information one might find in a college classroom. For anyone interested in the air we breathe, 18 Miles is a great addition to any library. Read more...

Christopher Dewdney knows how to write with a great balance of fact, anecdote, and speculation mixed with a bit of dry (sometimes wry) humor. . . His joy and delight are evident in his writing, evidences and stories. I recommend this book to curious readers who want to know more than simply, "cloudy today with a slight chance of showers". Read more...

Science Writers & Communicators of Canada, General Audience Book Winner 2019 Read more...

A brilliant and witty journey into our national obsession.