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The Snowflake: Winter's Secret Beauty

by Kenneth Libbrecht and Patricia Rasmussen



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Back in the days when wide-selection bookstores were found only in the larger cities (and before Amazon.com), my first days at university revealed a goldmine of science books at the two main bookstores in town. One book I found was Snow Crystals by W.A. Bentley, and W.J. Humphreys. For those not familiar with this volume, it is an extensive collection of the photographs taken by Wilson ("Snowflake") Bentley over his lifetime's obsession (for more on Bentley, see the review of his biography on this site).

Snow Crystals has been one of the treasures of my weather library these past decades, a book that transcends science and enters the world of natural art. When I received The Snowflake: Winter's Secret Beauty by Kenneth Libbrecht and Patricia Rasmussen for review, I found its sequel and in many ways not just its equal, but its superior.

The Snowflake: Winter's Secret Beauty can best be described as the beautiful marriage of two sides of nature. The first — so ranked because it is the aspect of the book that hits you first — is the incredibly beautiful photomicrographs of snow crystals by Patricia Rasmussen. The second is the state-of-the-art accounts of the science behind the snow crystal by Kenneth Libbrecht.

In her statement on the snowflake photographs, Rassmussen reveals that she too was captured by the images in Snow Crystals — "spellbound" is the word she uses — and "immediately sought to learn everything I could about the art of photographing snow crystals." For many of the book's stunning photographs, she used a camera apparatus designed and build by collaborator Kenneth Libbrecht. Rassmussen's photographs are not as numerous as Bentley's collection, but they are superior (given the technical advances of the past century) in detail and stunning through the subtlety of colour.

Dr Kenneth Libbrecht is professor and head of the Physics Department at Caltech and has spent many years studying the physics and mechanics of crystal growth, particularly the snow crystal. His text on the formation and growth of snow crystals is an easily accessible description of the process as we understand it today.

The combined work of Libbrecht and Rasmussen produces a well-written and well-illustrated book that will appeal to a wide audience, from artist to scientist, nature lover to techno-geek. And the beauty of the cover will make it a good candidate for a coffee-table book, one that quickly catches the eye. I must also complement the technical editors for the composition of this book, a well-presented combination of photos and text. I give this book my highest recommendations.


Keith C. Heidorn, PhD
THE WEATHER DOCTOR
November 1, 2003

This book's release is well timed for the holiday (and winter) season. It certainly tops my recommendation list for a gift choice that will please a wide variety of recipients. I place this book along with The Book of Clouds by John Day and Color and Light in Nature by David K. Lynch and William Livingston as the best combination of beauty and science in currently available books. Combine it with either or both for a gift package that will give both beauty and knowledge.

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The Snowflake: Winter's Secret Beauty by Kenneth Libbrecht and Patricia Rasmussen, Voyageur Press, ISBN 0896586308, (HC), 2003.

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Weather Doctor's Book Review: The Snowflake: Winter's Secret Beauty ©2003, Keith C. Heidorn, PhD. All Rights Reserved.


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