Gavin Pretor-Pinney – författare

SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024SHORTLISTED FOR THE CHILDREN'S WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NON-FICTIONAn introduction to the wondrous world of clouds, by the internationally bestselling founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society and a prize-winning children's book author and illustratorHave you ever watched a cloud being born?Clouds come in all manner of shapes and sizes, from low-lying Stratus to high-flying Cirrus via roll clouds, banner clouds and tornados. This beautifully illustrated guide reveals the facts, secrets and stories of all the major cloud types, and how they shape the weather around them. We learn their fancy Latin names, explore the parts of the sky where they like to hang out, marvel at the ways they play with sunlight – and even visit them on other planets, where they are sometimes made of acid.Cloudspotting for Beginners will inspire curious minds with a lifelong sense of meteorological wonder.

The essential aid for everyday cloudspotting, from the author of the bestselling THE CLOUDSPOTTER'S GUIDE'The perfect companion for a gloomy day'New Scientist'Float away with this unstuffy guide to all things fluffy'Good HousekeepingTHE CLOUD COLLECTOR'S HANDBOOK fits into pockets, allowing cloudspotters to identify cloud formations anytime and anywhere. All the common cloud types are represented, as are many of the rare ones, each fully described and illustrated with a range of photographs. Not only is THE CLOUD COLLECTOR'S HANDBOOK an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to be able to identify and understand every cloud that floats by, it also caters for the competitive cloudspotter. Points are awarded for each cloud type identified - the rarer the cloud, the greater points - and there's space to fill in where and when it was sighted.Beautifully designed, in colour throughout, and full of the humour that made THE CLOUDSPOTTER'S GUIDE so engaging, the HANDBOOK is the essential reference for anyone with their head in the clouds.PRAISE FOR THE CLOUDSPOTTER'S GUIDE'A lovely book, the sort that everybody should have in the car or on the kitchen windowsill'Daily Telegraph'Read this eye-opening and amusingly written book'Daily Mail 'His style is genial, his enthusiasm uplifting and his book is nothing less than a subtle but glorious mantra for a way of life'Metro

'The clouds are nature's poetry, and the most egalitarian of her displays, since everyone has an equally fantastic view of them. Clouds are for dreamers, and their contemplation benefits the soul. Yet their beauty is so everyday as to be in danger of being overlooked ...'Gavin Pretor Pinney is the chairman and founder member of the Cloud Appreciation Society. He contends that we are blessed in this country with a uniquely rich and varied cloudscape, which has hitherto been sadly undervalued. His book teaches us to appreciate their different varieties - the cumulus, nimbostratus and Morning Glory to name only a few - and all their beauties and significances, both meteorological and cultural. We learn how Hindus believed the cumulus clouds were the spiritual cousins of elephants, how thermal air currents act on fair weather cumuli, and how to save a fortune in psychiatric bills by using the clouds as Rorschach images that reflect our state of mind as well as nature's moods.Looking up will never be the same again.

One bright February afternoon on a beach in Cornwall, GavinPretor-Pinney took a break from cloudspotting and started watching thewaves rolling into shore. Mesmerised, he wondered where they had comefrom, and decided to find out. He soon realised that waves don't justappear on the ocean, they are everywhere around us, and our livesdepend on them.From the rippling beats of our hearts, to the movement of food throughour digestive tracts and of signals across our brains, waves are thetransport systems of our bodies. Everything we see and hear reaches usvia light and sound waves, and our information age is reliant on themicrowaves and infrared waves used by the telephone and internetinfrastructure. From shockwaves unleashed by explosions to torsionalwaves that cause suspension bridges to collapse, from sonar waves thatallow submarines to ‘see' with sound to Mexican waves that sweepthrough stadium crowds... there were waves, it seemed, wherever Gavinlooked. But what, he wondered, could they all have in common with oneswe splash around in on holiday?By the time he made the ultimate surfer's pilgrimage to Hawaii, Gavinhad become a world-class wavewatcher, although he was still rubbish atsurfing. And, while this fascinating, funny book may not teach you howto ride the waves, it will show you how to tune into the shapes,colours and forms of life's many undulations.

Pause for a moment and look up at the skies. There is ever-changing beauty to behold in the cloudscape. Learn the difference between common cloud types (do you know your cirrostratus from your cumulonimbus?) and find out which is most likely to herald the arrival of the rains or approaching fair weather. - Includes 30 illustrated cards plus an altitude map poster and introduction to cloud spotting- Learn the difference between common cloud types and find out more about their formation and what they may mean for the day ahead- A mindful new challenge to break through the constant noise of our busy modern world- An inspirational gift for those who want to stay connected with nature and find some headspace in a busy world- The author, Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founded the Cloud Appreciation Society and is an established author on cloud spotting

This charming volume reminds us that self-care is as available as a glance out the window' – The New York Times‘A confident celebration of our ever-changing skies... I defy anyone who reads it not to start taking furtive peeks out the window.’ – Robert Leigh-Pemberton, The Daily Telegraph 'A gorgeous celebration of the wonder of clouds’ – The People’s FriendIt's more important than ever to engage with the natural world. The sky is the most dramatic and evocative aspect of nature and looking up at the clouds is always good for the soul. Ever-changing and ephemeral, clouds reflect the shifting moods of the atmosphere in limitless compositions and combinations.Gavin Pretor-Pinney started the Cloud Appreciation Society in 2005. Since then, he's been encouraging people to 'look up, marvel at the ephemeral beauty, and always remember to live life with your head in the clouds.' Membership to the Society now includes over 50k cloudspotters. Together, they capture and share the most remarkable skies, from sublime thunderstorms and perfect sunsets to hilarious object shaped clouds.A Cloud A Day is a beautifully illustrated book containing 365 skies selected by the Cloud Appreciation Society. There are photographs by sky enthusiasts around the world, satellite images and photographs of clouds in space, as well as skies depicted by great artists over the centuries. The clouds are accompanied by enlightening explanations, fascinating snippets of cloud science, poetry and uplifting quotations.The perfect dip-in-and-out book for anyone who wants to de-stress and reconnect with nature, A Cloud A Day will inspire you to open your eyes to the everyday beauty above and to spend a moment each day with your head in the clouds.

A cloudspotter's interactive journal.Our interest in clouds is more profound than we ever thought. Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society and author of A Cloud A Day has been spreading the word via social media and hugely popular TED talks, and the response has been revelatory.Following on from his very successful A Cloud A Day book, he wants readers to take time each day to look at the shifting skies. To take a moment, as he says. Then, using the prompts and space in the journal, record the cloud, weather, and importantly their thoughts on that day. It is the perfect mindful occupation.To help readers understand the clouds they are looking at, the book includes a hugely useful pin wheel device – a cloud selector – at the back of the journal. The device allows the reader to visually match the cloud they see in the sky with the cloud in the selector device, which has all the information about that particular cloud they need. From the cloudlets of the altocumulus clouds to the rarer Lacunosus cloud (holes surrounded by fringes of cloud).In amongst the prompts and spaces are stunning images of clouds with bits of poetry, science and folklore. It is the ideal interactive journal for those interested in clouds and the weather but also for those looking for the perfect way to spend 10 minutes of the day to reconnect with nature and the passing of the seasons.Praise for A Cloud A Day:'[This] charming little volume reminds us that self-care is as available as a glance out the window, no matter your age or infirmities'The New York Times‘A confident celebration of our ever-changing skies... I defy anyone who reads it not to start taking furtive peeks out the window.’Robert Leigh-Pemberton, Daily Telegraph