This is my third review of an edition of A World of Weather: Fundamentals of Meteorology written by Lee M. Grenci and Jon M. Nese, and I am happy to say the volume improves with age. It is designed for a textbook and laboratory manual for the post-secondary level, but its easy reading style and broad use of analogy/metaphor also make it the perfect book for anyone with high school science wanting to learn more about weather.
The authors treat the readers as apprentice meteorologists and thus include a number of exercises to do along with the written material. The accompanying CD-ROM compiled by David Babb adds materials through animations and movies not easily presented in the book format. And not only have they added this CD-ROM, but Grenci and Nese have added an additional 270 pages in this edition. In reviewing the third edition, I had lamented the folding in of the material on Winter weather, which had been a stand-alone chapter in the second edition, into other chapters. Well, the authors heard my lament and reintroduced the chapter in this fourth edition.
Authors Grenci and Nese have a very definite goal in mind for this book. In their Preface words (whose full text may be found at http://www.kendallhunt.com/samples/209.html):
"Fundamentally, we want students to be good weather consumers. They will be bombarded by all types of weather information throughout their lives via television, the Internet, radio and the written word. Some of it will be scientifically accurate; some of it will be fuzzy and misleading. In order to discriminate between accurate and misleading information, students will need to retain what they learned about basic meteorology."
The style of A World of Weather — light and replete with allusions, plays on words and unashamed humour — is a refreshing departure from more traditional text books. Grenci and Nese succeeded in making the second edition the best text book I have ever read on any subject (including the Feynman Lectures on Physics) and have not lost that honour with the fourth edition. In fact, if I have to recommend only one general book on meteorology for introductory class use or general reading, I recommend A World of Weather.
Each of the 18 chapters contains an introduction, a sidebar focus essay on an atmospheric optical phenomenon or weather folklore, the main discussion and a series of laboratory exercises and chapter review questions. This book not only teaches the basic concepts of meteorology, but it also applies these concepts with many interesting hands-on laboratory exercises (remember it is also a lab manual), thus promoting a deeper understanding of how the atmosphere works. The only drawback with the exercises is that the answers are not available to the home reader.
I rate A World of Weather as the best overall, and most understandable, discussions on weather/meteorology I have ever read. The writing is a treat to read, particularly for a textbook, and that is one reason I recommend it to anyone looking for an introductory book on meteorology/weather, particular if you are interested in weather forecasting and mid-latitude weather systems.
The authors continue to succeed in their stated goal expressed in the Second Edition:
"We have written this book with the aim that students do not merely go sight-seeing along the superhighway of meteorology. Rather, we hope that students become real travelers, willing to detour off the beaten path and to actively seek new adventures that will broaden their appreciation and understanding of how the atmosphere works."
My sincerest congratulations to the authors for another well-done edition of A World of Weather.
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