Storm: Nature and Culture

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Description

Storms affect our lives in many remarkable and powerful ways. Gales, hurricanes,cyclones, blizzards, tornados, hail and sand and dust storms regularlydemonstrate the awesome power of nature that all of us experience in someform. But what causes them What role have they played in our history,religion and the arts And will climate change make them even moredestructive

This strikingly illustrated book takes an in-depth and unique look at thenature of storms and their impact on our lives. It shows how storms havechanged the course of history, playing a decisive role in major battles andmomentous revolutions from Roman times to the modern day. It describesthe deadliest storms in history, such as the Bangladesh cyclone of 1970 thatkilled perhaps a million people, and explains how humans have tried tocontrol storms through religion, superstition and science. Despite theirpotent ability to cause destruction, storms also benefit humanity.

Storm also describes the major role they have played in the arts, from Shakespeare's plays to novels such as Robinson Crusoe and famous works of art by Rembrandt, Constable, Monet, Munch and Turner.

Reviews

In this page-turning account, award-winning television journalist and writer John Withington looks at the kind of things which thank goodness are a rarity in our Goldilocks islands (where its not too hot, not too cold . . . Beautifully illustrated, this is a lively and informative study of the power of nature, and a reminder for all of humanitys industrial and military might that in a straight fight between elemental weather forces and ourselves, the weather will win every time. * Eastern Daily Press *
Beautifully illustrated with many color photographs and art reproductions, Storm could serve as a basic introduction to the phenomena, history, and effects of notable storms . . . [Storm] will be of great interest to a wide variety of readers * Choice *
a strikingly illustrated book that takes an in-depth look at the nature of storms and their impact on our lives. We tend to think of storms as being inherently destructive, but they can also benefit humanity in many ways by evening out global temperatures, for example, providing rain and clearing out old trees to make way for new. This is a fascinating book from one of Britains leading disaster historians. * Methodist Recorder *

Author Bio

John Withington is an award-winning television journalist, based in London. His books include Assassins Deeds (2020) and Secrets of the Centenarians (2017), both published by Reaktion Books.