Wind: How the Flow of Air Has Shaped Life, Myth, and the Land

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Jan DeBlieu lives on North Carolina's Outer Banks, where "wind is culture and heritage... Wind toughens us, moves mountains of sand as we watch, makes it difficult to sleepwalk through life." She always knows how fast the wind is blowing, and from what direction. She knows which winds are good for fishermen, and which are good for surfers. In Wind, DeBlieu teaches what she knows, and more. Watching the wind ruffle the water, turn tree branches into whips, or capsize a sailboat, she uses her powers of observation and lyrical writing to beautifully communicate what she sees. From the windy myths, religions, and creation stories of cultures worldwide, to the hardcore science of air movements and meteorology, to the stories of people whose lives are forever changed by hurricanes, typhoons, and tornadoes, Wind covers vast territory.

"I'd rather look at Grandma's drawers than see a backing wind," say folks on the eastern seaboard of the United States. Someone who is following an unlikely dream is said to be "chasing the wind." And if we suspect a big change is coming, we say, "something is in the wind." We name the winds: sirocco, Santa Ana, williwaw, chinook, monsoon. DeBlieu traces the ways wind shapes our reality, the earth's land and water, plants and animals, exploring everything in dramatic, immediate, and lucid prose.

"It begins with a subtle stirring caused by sunlight falling on the vapors that swaddle the earth. It is fueled by extremes--the stifling warmth of the tropics, the bitter chill of the poles. Temperature changes set the system in motion: hot air drifts upward and, as it cools, slowly descends.... Gradually the vapors begin to swirl as if trapped in a simmering cauldron. Air molecules are caught by suction and sent flying.... As the world spins, it brushes them to one side but does not slow them. Tumbling together, the particles of air become a huge, unstoppable current."

And so the winds are born. Read Wind and you'll never again take an exhilarating kite-flying day for granted. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

The winds of the world have sculpted the land and all aspects of nature, but they've also shaped humans — histories, cultures and settlements. Ephemeral and powerful, the wind is impossible to capture in a single phrase or image. In Wind, Jan DeBlieu sets out to better understand this force of nature by exploring its many aspects and effects, large and small, in a quest that spans the United States.
She visits a weather observatory at the summit of Mount Washington, talks to survivors of a deadly tornado in Iowa, tries hang gliding in North Carolina, and climbs sand dunes in Oregon and slickrock formations in Utah. DeBlieu lives on one of the most wind-plagued landscapes on the earth, North Carolina's Outer Banks, where the winds have shaped the contours of the islands, the migrations of birds and fish, and the customs and character of the residents. In poetic prose she seamlessly interweaves her life experiences with scientific research to compelling and enriching result.
Winner of the John Burroughs Medal for Natural History Writing, Wind brings us closer to a force that affects us all.

Customer Reviews:

A fine blend of journalism and art.......2001-05-22

I found this book to be at once eloquent, informed and wonderfully appealing---both to naturalists as well as to those who simply want to know how our earth works. 'Wind' works on every level.

However, the tragedy of having Amazon encourage reader reviews is that you court the opinion of folks who are often frustrated writers, and who---because they don't have to sign their name---will say amazingly stupid and uninformed things. In re-reading DeBlieu's "Wind" once again, I am astounded that anyone as fully ... as the reader who gave it only one star [and very rudely called it a 'yawn'] could actually be taken seriously. This sort of uncivilized and uninformed behavior must originate with the dot com flame geeks, nasty little people who don't have the courage to sign their names to such 'critiques.'

Tremendous Breadth Of Coverage.......2001-02-28

When you first start reading this book, you're not quite sure how Ms DeBlieu is going to develop the topic. She uses a lot of local (Cape Hatteras) analogies and personal accounts, and there's this feeling in the back of your mind, "hmm, is this going to be just another nature book, about sand dunes and sailing ships?" But pretty soon, you're hooked. I've not read better descriptions of the major wind systems, or of the origins of hurricanes. And as she begins to dig into the effects of wind on civilization, you'll find this impossible to put down. The final chapter of wind power is especially remarkable. No, it's not just another nature book, not at all.

Great stuff.......2000-07-09

Think about it. If someone asked you to write a non-fiction (but also not totally scientific) book about the wind, how much could you write? A few paragraphs? A few pages?

Jan DeBlieu has written nearly 300 pages not only about the wind, but also its effects. Her inspiration came from living on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and watching the wind blast this land, break the trees, scatter the wildlife and discourage the people.

In the book, DeBlieu discusses many facets to the wind and its effects: mythology of the wind, the effect of the wind on history (due to prevailing winds, Europeans had sailed to Brazil long before they set foot in western Africa), as well as trees, birds, sand, ocean currents and man himself. Man's attempts to confront the wind (such as skyscrapers whose windows are blown out in strong winds) and to use the wind (such as windmills for energy) are also discussed.

But the facts presented in this book are only half the story. This is not a scientific book written in dry language. If that were so, this book would not be particularly interesting to a casual reader. But, as the blurb on the back cover states, "Jan DeBlieu brings a poet's voice and a scientist's eye" to her study of the wind. And that is what makes the book so interesting. DeBlieu takes scientific descriptions and transforms them into sentences where you think "I wish I could write like that". For example:

"Just as it has shaped the history of mankind, the seasonal paths of animals, and the spread of vegetation, wind chisels the crust of the earth. It whistles around mountains and through passes, eroding rock as it gains speed. Bit by bit it skims the tops off plowed fields. It scatters ash from volcanic explosions and so creates some of the richest soil on earth."

If you enjoy learning about the world around you, but are put off by the scientific language, you will find this book to be - I can't avoid it - a breath of fresh air.

a treat for the senses and the mind.......1999-02-28

This is a wonderfully written book bringing together history, anthropology, religion and science.

Thorough research and engaging writing........1999-01-22

Although the writer is stimulated by the winds of the outer banks, her handling of the subject is quite universal, and appeals to those of us who live on the Great Lakes, which have severe and fascinating wind patterns. Ms DeBlieu is a deft writer and has done meticulous research. This book ranks with Longitude by Dava Sobel, McPhee and Ian Fleming.

Wind : How the Flow of Air Has Shaped Life, Myth and the Land

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Wind : How the Flow of Air Has Shaped Life, Myth and the Land
Jan DeBlieu
Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: B000SSQVN4

Product Description

8 cassettes; 11 hours 30 minutes.

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FORESTRY COMMISSION BOOKLET NO. 15: KNOW YOUR CONIFERS; FORESTRY COMMISSION BOOKLET NO. 20: KNOW YOUR BROADLEAVES.

Manufacturer: HMSO
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HLTB1G

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KNOW YOUR CONIFERS
H. L. EDLIN
Manufacturer: HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SHVACW

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KNOW YOUR CONIFERS (BOOKLETS; NO.15)
GREAT BRITAIN
Manufacturer: H.M.S.O
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S5QSGW

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Know Your Conifers (Forestry Commission. Booklet no. 15)
Great Britain. Forestry Commission
Manufacturer: Stationery Office Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Plants | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Botany | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0117100064

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Ornamental Conifers (Know Your Garden Series)

Manufacturer: Timber Press, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Trees | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
General | Trees | Plants | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0917304837

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Pruning increases forest tree quality (A know your forest circular)
Knut Lunnum
Manufacturer: Extension Service, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Washington State University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Forests & Forestry | Natural Resources | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
Management | Forestry | Agricultural Sciences | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007I9INK

Book Description

The opening chapter introduces Scotland and offers the visitor practical travel advice and lots of useful tips about golf in Scotland. The country is then divided into seven regions in which 150 of Scotland's 500-plus courses are described in detail. Regional directories set out essential information on where to stay, eat and visit.
Scotland has more golf courses per head of population than any other nation,
ranging from traditional seaside links to majestic new parkland courses. With
stunning photography, Golfer's Guide to Scotland selects the best and the most picturesque, taking the reader on a journey of discovery from golfing gems such as the Highlands' Boat of Garten to golf's spiritual home, St Andrews.

Customer Reviews:

A Study Aide, not a Dissection Aide..........1999-09-17

Although the book has some decent descriptions of the anatomy of the rabbit, it doesn't have a single photograph of a dissection. The entire book was comprised of black and white drawings and sketches, which was totally disappointing. This is not the book you want to buy as a dissection aide, although it does have some nice tables and charts for muscle and nerve function, which would better serve as a study aide.

I want to take any information about this book.......1999-02-02

I am a Veterinary anatomist. I want to take any information about rabbit anatomy.

The Rabbit: A Practical Guide -- A Dissection Manual

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The Rabbit: A Practical Guide -- A Dissection Manual
Thomas Arthur Wells
Manufacturer: Dover Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 048661719X

The dissection of the rabbit (Practical zoology manuals)

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The dissection of the rabbit (Practical zoology manuals)
R. H Whitehouse
Manufacturer: University Tutorial Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007IVSFQ

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Manuals of Fellowship
M. de Burgh Daly
Manufacturer: [s.n.]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Book Description

In the last two decades impressive advances have been made toward the understanding and quantitative description of the kinetics. Despite these advances, however, the use of mathematical modelling of gas-solid catalytic reactors in industry is still limited. By consolidating progress in the understanding of catalytic processes, this book applies these fundamental advances to the development of models for design, simulation and optimization of industrial reactors. Paying particular attention to the verification of the developed models against industrial data, these models are used to optimize the performance of many practical reactor cases. Using a systems approach for the development of the different components and the resulting overall models, the book is easy to read and gives an insight into the behaviour of these complex industrial systems. In addition, the practical relevance of bifurcation, instability and chaos to industrial reactors is briefly discussed.
S.S.E.H. Elnashaie, King Sa

Book Description

Introduction by Daniel Adamson

Customer Reviews:

Is This Worth Reading? Yes!.......2006-09-04

Balzac's Literature, for me, is "a mixed bag". You have to be "patient" because there's alot of "description". I "read" this book as a book on tape which helped keep me from giving up on it which I thought about doing a couple of times during the reading of the book. But, I'm GLAD I DIDN'T GIVE UP on the story because some of the best is near the end. This "best near the end" makes the time and effort worthwhile for the reader. You'll be glad you read the entire book!

Let me say a few words about "economics". Balzac apparently was always in debt and never "made a bundle" during his life. So, he was always suffering under a burden of debt----like many of us here on Amazon with our VISA and Master Cards and house payments and car payments! So, many of us can "identify" with the plight of his characters as they try to stay solvent, out of debt, and out of debtors prison! Of course, we don't have "debtors prisons" these days but many people worry about how to pay the bills and many people live paycheck to paycheck. If you're not one of the above, then you are one of the lucky people. Even so, anyone can fall into debt---just get a disabling disease and see what happens when you can't work!

Thus, many of Balzac's characters are out of funds and in debt. These economic constraints on the characters, as on Balzac himself, we can have sympathy for. And, economic motivations loom large with the characters. For example, the two daughters are maligned in the book by their father because he "gave them everything they wanted" and "now that he's impoverished they won't even come to see him on his death bed." "Oh, if I had millions of francs they'd be here. But, now that I'm broke they don't come to see me because there's no money I can give them.", says Father Goriot. What I like about Balzac is not that he "blames" the characters, even the ungrateful daughters, but I see Balzac as "telling it the way it is"---that we are all "economic beings" who behave based on "economic motivations"---it's just natural, it's the way the world is, and it's not our fault. Thus, I believe, after reading Balzac, he helps me "understand" and especially "accept" the "normal" way people will react to you based on whether you can help them financially or not. If you want people to "be good" to you, you have to reward them financially. Does that make people "bad" or "greedy" or "selfish"---I have come to think maybe not. That's just "the nature of people"...it's the way they are so we should accept the reality of that and not feel disappointed about it. So, reading Balzac has helped me personally accept people the way they are instead of the way I'd like them to be. Good reason to read this book, I think. Recommended! Email is gourmet72141@yahoo.co

Balzac Rocks!.......2006-06-03

This was the first Balzac book I read, and the one that got me hooked. Sure, he has some "misses", but in general, almost everything I've read by him has been brilliant.

Old Goriot is superb.......2006-02-15

I've read a lot of Balzac and I love this with LOST ILLUSIONS probably most of all. The portrait of the old man, father to two selfish girls, who beggars himself to fulfill a dream is a superb. This is a good book to start with. One thing I must say is check your translations carefully. Some of the cheaper editions of this aren't very good. PENGUIN is probably the most consistently good translator of this wonderful writer.

Lear in Paris .......2005-10-30

The tremendous narrative drive, the energy of Balzac are everywhere evident in what is arguably his most powerful novel. The young man from the provinces, Rastignac's, effort to enter the world of high- society and power lead him into illicit connections with the daughters of Goriot. These spoiled , wealthy , selfish and cruel daughters are the subject of their fathers pathetic and obsessive love. The obsessiveness, the being possessed by one great overwhelming desire one cannot control,is a frequent theme of Balzac's work. Rastignac in his quest to go higher is also aided by the criminal Vautrin, another of Balzac's most memorable characters.
The father's tragedy of helpless and hopeless love towards rejecting and exploitative daughters is an echo of Lear. But there is no Cordelia here to add a deeper and more noble dimension to the tragedy.
Balzac creates in this work most memorable characters. And in his highly detailed- descriptive writing gives a picture of a corrupt world rich in human greed, envy and folly.

Thoughtful and Entertaining.......2005-03-16

As other reviewers have said, this is a compelling story that will lead to interest in the other books of Balzac's Comedie Humaine. Centered around the young Rastignac, who appears in later books, OLD GORIOT follows the early steps of his rise in Parisian society. We see his early mistakes and the moral dilemmas he must undergo in order to succeed in the society he wants to enter.
The most inciteful feature of this book is how Balzac neither villifies nor glorifies the characters. They are real people who face moral conflicts, and have to choose which path they want to take. We see the weaknesses of all characters, even the protagonists.
Perhaps, the book does present a rather discouraging comment on society in general, but OLD GORIOT is an enjoyable read that is also thought-provoking. Some of my colleagues have criticized the book for being tediously descriptive, but that's part of the book's beauty. On closer analysis, you realize that the descriptions are an extension of the characters in the book. OLD GORIOT is a wonderful book to start the Comedie Humaine. I highly recommend it; it's a great read with a purpose.

Approaches to Teaching Balzac's Old Goriot (Approaches to Teaching World Literature)

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Approaches to Teaching Balzac's Old Goriot (Approaches to Teaching World Literature)

Manufacturer: Modern Language Association of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Balzac Old Goriot
E V Rieu
Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PDEFP8

Balzac's Works Old Goriot; A Passion In The Desert; An Episode Under The Terror (Balzac's Works, Volume Two)

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Balzac's Works Old Goriot; A Passion In The Desert; An Episode Under The Terror (Balzac's Works, Volume Two)

Manufacturer: Current Literature Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000FP9X58

Balzac: Old Goriot (Landmarks of World Literature)

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The price of social climbing

Balzac: Old Goriot (Landmarks of World Literature)
David Bellos
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

French | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

European | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0521327997

Book Description

This up-to-date account of the novel’s composition, structure, and achievement provides readers with the literary and historical knowledge needed to make sense of the text. Professor Bellos explains how Balzac challenged prevailing nineteenth-century expectations of what novels should be like.

Customer Reviews:

The price of social climbing.......2000-11-03

Superbly written view of the class struggle in 19th century Paris. Goriot buys his daughters up in social standing with their doweries but pays even more dearly in the end. As the suspense builds so does the realization of the inevitable outcome. Balzac presents a realistic view of the era, at times funny and at times full of promise but in the end squarely melancolic. The dialogue is crisp. Definitely worth the read.

Everyman's Library (Everyman's Library: Fiction, Old Goriot)

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Everyman's Library (Everyman's Library: Fiction, Old Goriot)

Manufacturer: E. P. Dutton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000L63RGW

Honore De Balzac Volumes One to Six: 1: Honore De Balzac, Cousin Pons, at the Sign of the Cat and Racket; 2: Old Goriot, a Marriage Settlement; 3: Cousin Betty; 4: Eugenie Grandet, Modeste Mignon; 5:

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Honore De Balzac Volumes One to Six: 1: Honore De Balzac, Cousin Pons, at the Sign of the Cat and Racket; 2: Old Goriot, a Marriage Settlement; 3: Cousin Betty; 4: Eugenie Grandet, Modeste Mignon; 5:

Manufacturer: Review of Reviews Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HAYJRI

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HONORE DE BALZAC'S OLD MAN GORIOT
Editor Maugham W. Somerset
Manufacturer: John C. Winston
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J4XDT2

THE HUMAN COMEDY OLD GORIOT IN ONE VOLUME

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THE HUMAN COMEDY OLD GORIOT IN ONE VOLUME
Honore De and Sedgwick, Jane Minot(Translated) Balzac
Manufacturer: George Barrie and Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GRCSW0

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OLD FATHER GORIOT
HONORE DE BALZAC
Manufacturer: COLLINS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000S5FJ1C

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