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WHAT'S WRONG WITH OUR WEATHER?

Name: WHAT'S WRONG WITH OUR WEATHER?
Author: John Gribbin
ISBN: 0684158078

THE CLIMATIC THREAT OF THE 21ST CENTURY

by John Gribbin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1979

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We can now say unequivocally that the warmest period of the present 'interglacial' is over. . . from here on we can expect a cooling off until within about 10,000 years the world will be in the grip of another full ice age." That firm note of conviction runs through Gribbin's cogent summary of the forces shaping earth's climate, and distinguishes it from the many "iffy" conjectures abounding. The arguments he summons are based both on old theories (Milankovich's ice age model) and on very recent data obtained from space probes, sedimentary analysis, statistical studies, and increasingly sensitive computer models. Excitingly, a new central dogma is emerging—that of a changing sun. It appears that the. sun's nuclear furnace may have "gone off the boil" so that the center is 10% cooler than it was, say, 10 million years ago. That, in combination with notable surface fluctuations—sunspot cycles, solar flares, "gusts" of solar wind—would go far to account for the ups and downs of earth's weather. In turn, periodic changes in the shape of earth's orbit, the angle of its tilt, and its constant "wobble" assure that the amount of heat reaching the surface will vary over latitude, season, and century. Thus it is an unstable sun interacting with an unstable earth (and both interacting with the movements of the other parts of the solar system) which ultimately shapes our weather. Not that man is not a factor. Gribbin, more conjectural here, feels that industrial pollution—dust, heat, the greenhouse effect, aerosols—may contribute a warming effect in the years ahead. He is also certain that political solutions must be sought to avoid crop shortages and famine. Subtle and sophisticated in flavor, Gribbin's account is to be commended not only for his emphasis on the astrophysics of climate (his field), but for his understanding of present political realities.

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1979

ISBN: 0684158078

Page Count: 200

Publisher: Scribner

Review Posted Online: May 17, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1979

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
OUT OF THE SHADOW OF A GIANT
by John Gribbin & Mary Gribbin

- BOOK REVIEW
EINSTEIN'S MASTERWORK
by John Gribbin

- BOOK REVIEW
13.8
by John Gribbin

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.