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Tornado Alley: Monster Storms of the Great Plains
 
 
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Tornado Alley: Monster Storms of the Great Plains [Hardcover]

Howard B. Bluestein (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

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From Publishers Weekly

Bluestein, a professor of meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, has been pursuing tornadoes since long before storm-chasing emerged as a hobby of choice for thrill seekers. Though his motivation is primarily scientific, he acknowledges the role awe plays in his quest to understand these violent yet magnificent storms. He invites readers to accompany him on his two decades of storm-tracking through the famed "Tornado Alley" of the American Great Plains. When Bluestein points excitedly at a tornado or cloud formation, he directs the reader's gaze not to the power of the event alone, but also to details of its form and dynamics. In doing so, he employs the straightforward and often detailed discourse of the enthusiastic scientist discussing the topic that has driven his intellectual life. The book's historical organization traces the development of severe-weather science through the last half-century, from early anecdotal observations to today's high-technology measurements. The story ends where it began: at the dawn of a new quest into fuller understanding of the origin and development of these monster storms, demanding ever more detailed observations using ever advancing technologyAplus an ample dose of old-fashioned human curiosity and awe. Myriad illustrations and vivid photographs, many of which Bluestein himself shot, help break up the dense technical prose.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A professor of meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, Bluestein lives in the heart of Tornado Alley, an area extending from northern Texas to central Nebraska that claims the highest reported rate of tornado occurrence in the world. In his first book written for a general audience, he explains what is known about the genesis of tornadoes and their parent stormsAnot muchAand presents a personal history of modern severe-storm research. Bluestein is a storm chaser, someone who pursues severe thunderstorms in an attempt to find (and study) tornadoes. It sounds like a dangerous occupation, but his accounts of chases are characterized mostly by good-natured complaints about malfunctioning automobiles and uncooperative weather gods. The book includes more than 100 of Bluestein's photographs of storm clouds and vortexes, which are not only spectacularly beautiful but also clarify his rather technical descriptions of severe-storm phenomena. Recommended for academic and larger public libraries, particularly those in tornado-prone areas.ANancy Curtis, Univ. of Maine Lib., Orono
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
I WAS A YOUNG CHILD playing outside our house near Boston under a hazy yellow June sky in 1953 when my mother summoned me inside because a tornado had been reported in Worcester, about forty miles to the west. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
5 star:
 (10)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4.0 out of 5 stars Tornado Alley - suffers a bit from a split personality, Feb 20 2003
By 
Charles Doswell III (Norman, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Tornado Alley: Monster Storms of the Great Plains (Hardcover)
Prof. Bluestein is one of the world's premier storm photographers, and the images alone make this book worthwhile. From where I sit, the book tries to combine the imagery with meteorology lessons that a few readers might find useful but many will probably find them pitched at too high a level to be of much value. The book is apparently trying to combine a "coffee table" content with meteorology lessons, an arguably overambitious goal. I was also disappointed that many of the images are printed too small or even in b&w. Otherwise, the image reproduction is excellent.
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5.0 out of 5 stars For Those Curious About Storms, Oct 11 2002
By 
Donald Giuliano (Norman, Oklahoma United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tornado Alley: Monster Storms of the Great Plains (Hardcover)
This book is written so that anyone can (with a little thought) understand the concepts discussed in it. However, this is not to say the book is a bore for the weather enthusiast--quite the contrary, this is the audience it will satisfy most.

I highly recommend this book for any storm enthusiast. In this book, Dr. Bluestein covers a wide range of tornado and severe-weather related topics, as well as some of the history behind how we currently deal with and view weather today. It is not difficult to understand, as it is not an academic text, yet at the same time Dr. Bluestein integrates explanations of core scientific concepts into his chasing tales and weather history narratives. Thus if you only want the book for the sake of tornado pictures and desire little/no scientific content, I suggest you look elsewhere.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, Aug 6 2002
This review is from: Tornado Alley: Monster Storms of the Great Plains (Hardcover)
I love this highly explosive book! It is for sure, for the storm lover. I plan on chasing storms after school, and if you do too, this the book for you. Proud to give it five big stars!
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