The Lightning Discharge

by Martin A. Uman

In this readable, absorbing, up-to-date monograph, one of the nation's foremost experts on lightning sets forth most of what has been learned about the subject. To make the material more easily understandable, the author has organized the chapters primarily by lightning process. Following a general introduction and chapters on lightning phenomenology and cloud and lightning charges, he looks into the types and stages of lightning, with chapters on the stepped leader, the attachment process, the return stroke, the dart leader, continuing current, J- and K-processes in discharges to the ground, positive lightning, upward lightning and the artificial initiation of lightning, and cloud discharges. In the final two chapters, Dr. Uman investigates lightning on other planets and examines the phenomenon of thunder.
Each chapter contains a reference list, and the book as a whole is augmented with a generous selection of diagrams, charts, and photographs. Appendices on electromagnetics, statistics, and experimental techniques help to clarify some of the concepts covered in the text. A fourth appendix lists relevant books. Of special interest to physicists, meteorologists, and electrical engineers, the newly corrected edition of this detailed study offers a deep understanding of one of nature's most intriguing phenomena. 144 illustrations. Appendices. Index.

377 pages, Paperback

First published June 17, 1987

Reviews

[Cade]

I struggled to decide how to rate this book as I read it. In the end, I did not enjoy it very much, but I do not think that is the book's fault. It is my fault for choosing to read a book that was not written for me. Therefore, I am omitting a star rating.

This book would be more appropriately titled "Lightning Quantified." This book is not a book to teach a layman about lightning. It is a book to summarize the detailed numerical results of professional researchers for a person that already has a very strong grasp of what lightning is and how it works. The majority of this book is catalogs of numbers crammed into paragraph format. It is filled with plots and graphs reproduced from scholarly research articles, and there are literally hundreds of cited articles from peer-reviewed journals. There is almost no qualitative description of lightning phenomenon. For the layman, the author recommends his other book "All About Lightning."

Just for your reference, I have a master's degree in engineering, so I have a technical education but no specific knowledge or training regarding lightning. Usually, I am glad to have a book that goes beyond the equationless "popular science" level of detail, and I take pride in not being scared off by having to study a book a little to understand it. However, in this case even I have to admit that this was too dense for my taste.