Storm: Nature and Culture

by John Withington

Gales, cyclones, blizzards, tornados, and hurricanes—few things demonstrate the awesome power of nature like a good storm. Devastating, diverse, and sometimes appearing completely out of nowhere, storms are also a source of both scientific and aesthetic wonder. In this book, John Withington takes an in-depth and unique look at the nature of storms and the impact that they have—both physical and cultural—on our lives.
            Withington shows how storms have changed the course of human history. From Roman times to the modern day, he shows how their devastating effects have wiped out entire communities, changed the fates of battle, and even reset the entire planet. He also shows how beneficial they have been to as an important feature of our atmosphere and climate, but also as a source of inspiration for nearly every artist who has ever lived, from Homer to Rembrandt, in works from the Old Testament to Robinson Crusoe . Beautifully illustrated, this book offers a fascinating look at Earth’s most fearsome events.
 

224 pages, Paperback

Published September 15, 2016

About the author

John Wihtington is a television producer and writer, Among his television credits are 'Royal London' (LWT), 'From Marx to the Market' (BBC2) and 'Global Gamble' (Channel 4). He writes regularly for newspapers and magazines and the author of Shutdown, a book about the effects of shipyard closures on Teesside.

Reviews

[Sophy H]

Another great offering in the Earth : Nature and Culture series. I'm onto Earthquakes next!

Withington does a fine job in showcasing all the great and momentous storms over the years. From the geographical and physical perspective, the colour photographs showing the devastation are phenomenal. From the cultural, art and literature perspective, mention of storms in Macbeth and The Tempest, and samples of Turner's storm paintings are beautifully presented.

If you like wild weather with crazy winds and howling rains, this is the book for you.

[Kerry Pickens]

This series has been very enjoyable reading because the books are short and contain a lot of references to literature, film and fine art. For example, it mentions everything from Shakespeare’s plays to the film The Perfect Storm.

[Katerina]

2.5 stars

Pretty disappointing wrt science.

[Amy]

Storm, Nature and Culture is a 4 star read highlighting the power of storms in our past, present and future.

The book breaks down storm into chapters.

Easy to read, and follow.

Lots of photos featured in the book.

[Chris Shepheard]

Storms throughout history in legend, religion, art and life. Climate change and the increasing severity of storms is also discussed.