Waterworks: A Photographic Journey through New York's Hidden Water System

Book Description

New York’s water system is staggering – it provides 1.3 billion gallons of water a day to over 9 million people from 200 square miles of watershed. its aqueducts, reservoirs, tunnels, gatehouses, and tanks have been continually under construction since the 1830s, and its current – and largest – tunnel project will not be completed until 2020. But more significantly, New York’s water system is also sublime – from its acres of bucolic land to its glimmering steel mechanizations, Waterworks captures the beauty and mystery of the system that is so essential to so many.
Photographer Stanley Greenberg began photographing these spectacular sites in 1992 after years of petitioning the authorities to gain access to them. Since then he has traveled to places as varied as dams in remote regions of upstate New York and tunnels 800 feet below the streets of Brooklyn. He finished his shooting in the spring of 2001, just before the events of 9/11 closed most of these sites to all access. In Waterworks, Greenberg reveals the now hidden liquid city in stunning duotones. An introduction by Matthew Gandy covers the history, technology, and culture of the system.

Customer Reviews:

water is important.......2005-01-05

This album of photos portrays New York City's far-flung water collection and distribution network. Greenberg provides a catalog of the images that conveys some of the structures' history and stories about how he photographed them. A long, footnoted introduction by Matthew Gandy, also author of an environmental history of New York City called , adds historical context that I found very helpful.

The elements of the water network pictured vary from natural-looking reservoirs in the Catskills catchment in upstate New York to City Tunnel No. 3, now being built 800 feet below several boroughs. As the Preface and Catalog note, Greenberg learned how this system was built incrementally over a long period of time, beginning with the Croton Aqueduct system's construction in the 1830s. His interest extended over the vast geographic extent of New York City's water supply, more than 2000 square miles of surface water catchment that today funnel 1.3 billion gallons daily to 9 million city residents.

The photos are monochrome, printed medium-dark, which makes them moody; there are no people in them, but doorways and other occasional elements imply scale. Greenberg and Gandy both comment on the integration of these water systems into populated areas where systems of laws regulate how people interact with the water. The laws basically forbid interaction, so it's actually fitting that the images are depopulated. There are not even people shown working on elements under construction, such as Water Tunnel No. 3. In general, the engineers who designed the system and the people who labored physically to build it are absent from the book in image and text.

Portraits of the system's elements, however, are very interesting even without people. Reservoir spillways paved in large blocks of smooth stone, irregularly curved, really do naturalize these enormous, human-made structures into the forested edges of upstate reservoirs. The chunky, stone gate houses look like appropriate wardens, even if the real caretakers are the invisible people who climb out of white pick-up trucks to maintain the equipment inside. Greenberg notes that he completed photography in 2001, months before the terrorist attacks of 9-11 closed off water systems from him.

Gandy's introduction interests me as an historian who's studied Chicago's water supply. Gandy clearly traces the design and construction of the waterworks to politics and social change. His introduction is a big-picture history that refers to the major 20th century histories of water and cities, placing New York City into historical and theoretical context. There is a clear and helpful STS-style analysis that relates disease, politics, financing, ownership, urbanization, sanitation, and culture to the development of the waterworks. Practically absent are what you might call traditional history of science and technology factors in waterworks development, such as advances in the study of hydrology, the size of earth-moving equipment, and eventual computer monitoring that enabled the control of water on ever-increasing scales of volume and geography. A broad array of important factors are described very satisfyingly, just look elsewhere for descriptions of the material basis for creating the science and technology of water control (such as engineers measuring water flow or CCC guys with shovels).

I like this book and am very happy to own it. I look forward very much to reading Gandy's monograph on New York City. I think the maps on page 5 are essential to placing the waterworks into geographic context. An important complement could be schematic diagrams that explain the functional elements of reservoirs and various tunnels so that the reader understands what a spillway is for, a calming basin, gates, etc. I think the strong masses present in the images would be of even greater interest to a reader who understands the physical things that they're meant to accomplish.

Waterworks: A Photographic Journey Through New York's Hidden Water System

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Waterworks: A Photographic Journey Through New York's Hidden Water System
Stanley Greenberg
Manufacturer: Princeton Architectural Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VAZWXE

Customer Reviews:

DUCHESS OF WINDSOR.......2006-11-06

This is a great book on one of the great private jewelry collections of all time. The images in this book are the benchmark for this kind of book and the text is highly informative. The Duchess had impeccable taste and the Duke indulged her at every turn. Not a piece this woman owned was anything but the epitomy of elan and elegance, it was no wonder that her jewel auction brought out royals and the famous, I especially appreciated the breathtaking Prince of Wales feather's broach bought by Elizabeth Taylor, no surprise that this woman of singular taste would buy the best piece from the collection of a lady with dare I say even better taste. Great book, highly recommended.

A RARE FIND.......1999-12-22

THE JEWELS OF THE DUCHESS OF WINDSOR 1st edition,is a lush vicarious view of the golden age of royalty. The illustrations are breathtaking, done by some of the world's most famous photographers including Lord Snowdon..a marvelous addition to any collection.

A RARE FIND.......1999-12-22

A Visually Stunning Masterpiece!.......1997-08-02

I adore this book! It's an oversize publication which increases the beauty of the photography. The photos of the Duchess'jewelry are breathtaking, and it also provides a full account of the famed auction, including the amounts paid for the jewelry. There are great pictures of celebrities who purchased some of the pieces. There's even a stunning photo of Liz Taylor wearing the Prince of Wales Plume Pin for which she paid over $500,000. It also recounts the story of their lives along with pictures, including copies of newspaper clippings during the abdication. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Duke and Duchess or the forthcoming auction of the Windsor's household possessions at Sothebys. This book is the jewel in my collection of royal books!

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The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor
John and Nicholas Rayner Culme
Manufacturer: Thames and Hudson in association with Sotherby's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 050001437X

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The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor
Sotheby's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M92NPY

Product Description

catelog of the auction of the late Duchess of Windsors jewels benefitting The Pasteur Institute

The Jewels of the Late Duchess of Windsor Sold for the Benefit of The Pasteur Institue

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The Jewels of the Late Duchess of Windsor Sold for the Benefit of The Pasteur Institue
Nicholas (foreword by) Rayner
Manufacturer: Sotheby's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OYWAJG

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The Jewels Of The Duchess of Windsor
Sotheby's
Manufacturer: Sotheby's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H5NRU8

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Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor.
SOTHEBY'S
Manufacturer: See notes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RRB03C

The Jewels of The Late Duchess of Windsor

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The Jewels of The Late Duchess of Windsor
N C Rayner
Manufacturer: Sotherby's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IYUHHY

The Jewels of the late Duchess of Windsor: Sold for the Benefit of the

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The Jewels of the late Duchess of Windsor: Sold for the Benefit of the
SOTHEBY'S
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N36MG0

The Jewels of the Late Duchess of Windsor: Sold for the Benefit of the Pasteur Institute

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The Jewels of the Late Duchess of Windsor: Sold for the Benefit of the Pasteur Institute

Manufacturer: Sotheby's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HYU4GO

Product Description

Auction catalog for sale held Thursday, 2nd April and Friday, 3rd April, 1987 in Geneva, Switzerland. 306 color plates of auction items with descriptions. Many black & white photos of the Duchess of Windsor wearing some of the jewels

Book Description

This latest volume in the acclaimed In Focus series examines the life and work of Alfred Stieglitz, concentrating on the Getty Museum's considerable holdings of the work of this American master. In his studies of his wife, Georgia O'Keefe, in his portraits of the urban scene, and in his
pictures of natural form, Stieglitz defined the modern movement on photography. In his periodical Camera Work he championed photography as an art form; in his famous gallery "An American Place," he promoted the work of other American modernists. Fifty reproductions with commentaries by Weston
Naef, the Getty's curator of photographs, represent both the range of the Getty's collection and the importance of Stieglitz's contribution. The book also includes an edited colloquium on Stieglitz's life and work. Participants included Emmit Gowin, Sarah Greenough, Charles Hagen, John Szarkowski,
and Weston Naef.

Customer Reviews:

One of the original greats of photography........1998-08-19

Steiglitz is one of the great masters of the art of photography. Married to producing quality material, his work will never be "out of style." In addition, today's media obsessed population can find excitement in the stories of his personal life with Georgia O'Keefe. So it seems as though there's something for all.

Book Description

Sakura Pakk is a female-oriented anthology manga series showcasing an alternative side of femininity. Sometimes the girls of Natra Morta wonder how they made it this far with all of the stigma and people against them. By the time their story is told the haters can be number two, but these girls will be second to none!

Book Description

In the Mexico where Maria Hinojosa was born, being a successful woman was defined by one thing--becoming a traditional mother. But there has never been anything traditional about this award--winning radio and television journalist. By the time she reached her thirties, Maria Hinojosa had established a very exciting career. But with the birth of her first child, her son Raul, she began to discover the meaning of what really matters.

With the insight and passion of her award--winning journalism, Hinojosa takes us on a journey of family lessons and spiritual searching, of romance and intimacy, and of ambition and maternal love. In powerful flashbacks and flash--forwards and with colorful stories and characters from her life, she tells us a story of self discovery and of the fears, joys, and challenges that come with being a woman today.

Customer Reviews:

More than a book for Moms.......2006-03-22

Initially I thought this book would be focused more on parenting, in the traditional sense. But this book is so much more: Maria's inner struggle as a Latina in America- wanting more of her own culture, and wanting to succeed here in America at the same time; finding a man who helped her know herself... how all of this and more molded her as a parent.
I am buying a copy for a friend who is not even a mom because I know she will enjoy it.

Loved every line.........2004-06-17

I read this book a few years ago and loved it so much that I am looking to buy a new copy so I can read it again. The writing is so VIVID and above all so HONEST, that you feel like she's sitting right in front of you. This book is definitely one of my favorites of all time and I would recommend it to everyone.

Wonderful to give to a new mom!.......2001-11-19

My mother gave this book to me right after my son was born. She liked the general mothering idea it proposed - sort of a "whatever you do, so long as you do your best, all will be OK." It was wonderful to read Maria's thoughts on motherhood (and all of it's ups and downs) while I was still adjusting myself. I read most of it while breastfeeding (the early months can be marathon feedings)!

Colorful and Flavorful.......2001-08-26

Raising Raul was such a refreshing book to read because of Hinojosa's ability to keep me glued. I read it in two days. How did she manage to do that?? Her struggle to achieve motherhood is narrated in such a frank manner,with such flavorful intimate details;you just can't help but be drawn into her world. While the book in itself is wonderful I did have an objection. The name, Raising Raul, is a bit of a misnomer. I thought the book spent too much time on Hinojosa trying to conceive Raul rather than focusing on when she did have him which is what the title suggests.

A Readable, Moving , and Inclusive Memoir.......2001-08-05

Men have no reason to feel uncomfortable about reading and appreciating this book. I love Maria Hinojosa's memoir because it is easy to empathize with her efforts to become pregnant after past near misses. She writes about so much more than just pregnancy and motherhood, though. The book's richness resides in how honest and open she is about her struggle; and its impact on her relationships with her parents, husband, and friends. Even when she discussed painful topics and incidents, I detected no bitterness or sense of blame. Most of all, I appreciate Hinojosa's acknowledgement of spirituality as a constant pillar of her development. This is a rich, down to earth, and moving invitation into one woman's experience of parenthood, marriage, friendship, culture and love. Do not miss it!

Raising Raul : Adventures Raising Myself and My Son

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Raising Raul : Adventures Raising Myself and My Son
Maria Hinojosa
Manufacturer: Viking
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O5XZFS

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Raising Raul: Adventures Raising Myself and My Son
Maria Hinojosa
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJAHHI

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Good on Tactical, but not Operational Level

OPERATION BLUECOAT (Battleground Europe Normandy)
Ian Daglish
Manufacturer: Pen and Sword
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | World War II | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | France | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

OPERATION GOODWOOD: Attack by Three British Armoured Divisions - July 1944 (Battleground Europe - Normandy)

OPERATION EPSOM (Battleground Europe Normandy)

HILL 112: The Battle of the Odon (Battleground Europe)

GOLD BEACH - JIG: Jig Sector and West - June 1944 (Battleground Europe. Normandy)

Sword Beach: 3rd British Infantry Division's Battle for the Normandy Beachhead: 6 June-10 June 1944 (Battleground Europe) (Battleground Europe. Normandy)

ASIN: 0850529123

Book Description

After two months of bitter combat in Normandy, Operation Bluecoat transformed the campaign into a war of movement. British and German armored divisions were flung against one another. Over the rugged terrain of the 'Suisse Normande', thrust met with counter thrust in a rapidly changing mobile battle. This is the story of the breakthrough begun on 30th July by 11th Armoured Division, Guards Armoured Division, and 15th (Scottish) Division. This was initially opposed by 21. Panzer Division, and later by the Germans' most powerful divisions in the west: 9. SS-Panzer 'Hohenstaufen' and 10. SS-Panzer 'Frundsberg'.

The story of Bluecoat includes examples of virtually every type of Second World War armored combat: from infantry tanks to specialized flame-throwers and minesweeping tanks; from light armored reconnaissance units to the heaviest battle tanks of the Second World War. The experiences of both sides, German as well as British, are related as the story of a swirling armored Melle is played out under the hot summer sun between Caumont and Vire.

Customer Reviews:

Good on Tactical, but not Operational Level.......2003-09-13

Operation Bluecoat is surely one of the more obscure actions of the Second World War, but it is fortunate for historians that Pen & Sword has decided to address this heretofore-neglected subject as part of five new volumes on the British campaigns in Normandy in 1944. In his first volume for the Battleground Europe series, Ian Daglish describes the British VIII Corps offensive on 30 July-6 August 1944 that almost achieved a dramatic breakthrough of the German front. Overall, the volume is a good first effort, although not as well put together as other volumes in the series by Tim Saunders, Tim Kilvert-Jones or Carl Shilleto. Readers should note two immediate inaccuracies with the volume: first, that the subtitle "British 3rd Infantry Division/27th Armored Brigade" actually refers to the volume on "Sword Beach," since neither unit participated in Bluecoat. A second inaccuracy is the other subtitle - "the British Armored Breakout" - that did not, in fact, occur. By the end of Bluecoat, the German line had bent, but not broken.

The first two chapters in the volume deal with the development of an operation stalemate in Normandy and the genesis of the "Bluecoat" plan. It is clear from Daglish's narrative that while "Bluecoat" was conceived by Field Marshal Montgomery, that the plan was seen as an unwanted stepchild, since it did not fit into his campaign scheme of set-piece battles with predictable results (indeed, Montgomery virtually ignored the operation in his post-war memoirs). The major problem with Daglish's narrative of the operation - and it runs throughout the volume - is his failure to put Bluecoat in its proper operational perspective. While Daglish briefly discusses the American Operation Cobra, he fails to hammer home that Bluecoat was designed as a supporting effort to help the left flank of the main effort. American movements on the flanks of Bluecoat are only discussed in terms of inter-Allied cooperation problems, not in terms of any over-arching plan. In essence, Bluecoat was not a stand-alone operation, but it is almost presented that way, particularly due to the absence of any maps that depict American movements. Note also, that Daglish fails to provide an order of battle for either side.

The bulk of the volume consists of six narrative chapters that break Operation Bluecoat down, day by day. It is clear from this account that the British Army had begun to learn a few things after eight weeks in Normandy, and the early stages of Bluecoat demonstrated that the British had become masters of the set-piece battle. Unlike earlier attacks where the British had attacked elite SS units head-on, in Bluecoat Montgomery had deliberately shifted VIII Corps to attack one of the weakest units in the German line, the burnt-out 326th Infantry Division. Daglish notes that VIII Corps began its attack with only 200 infantrymen on an 800 meter-wide penetration front, with no artillery preparation. Tanks and engineers rapidly moved in to clear the German minefields and clear out the front-line positions. Amazingly, the Germans had not detected the arrival of large British forces on this quiet front almost a week earlier, and were caught by surprise. In fact, the Germans had very few anti-tank guns on this sector and had relied on the hedgerow terrain to deter an armored attack. The result was a British breakthrough of five miles on the first day and for once, the British boldly pushed forward armor units to seize key terrain in the German rear. Incredibly, the German army-level command did not appreciate the depth of the British penetration and was more focused on the American operations to the west.

Daglish has a knack for describing small unit actions, such as the German counterattack on Hill 226 on 30 July 1944. Three German Jagdpanther assault guns attacked the 40-odd Churchill tanks of the Scots Guards that were atop the hill and promptly knocked out 13 tanks, with no loss to themselves. Daglish's description of the seize of "Dickie's Bridge" by a five-man patrol of the Household Cavalry is also exciting reading, as well as highlighting the poor state of German command control by late July 1944. The Germans had made the classic mistake of putting their inter-corps boundary running through a forest, and then neither corps put any forces in place to block the road that ran through the forest. In short order, the British shoved part of the 11th Armored Division down this forest road, deep into the German lines. One British armored unit reached the outskirts of the town of Vire, a critical road hub, which the Germans had foolishly left unguarded. Thus, by the second day of battle, the British supporting offensive was beginning to offer the possibility of a major breakthrough.

Unfortunately for the British, the boldness that characterized their set-piece operations disappeared once the battle became more fluid. British armor commanders became reluctant to push deeply into the unknown, particularly with so many bypassed German units in their rear. The follow-on British armored unit, the Guards Armored Division, was particularly poor in armor-infantry cooperation (I was amazed by several quotes from field grade officers from that unit, to the effect that the Guards had never conducted joint armor-infantry training in England) and this renowned unit fumbled its way forward. Initially, the Germans failed to appreciate the extent of the British success, but once it became obvious that the VIII Corps was threatening to take Vire and achieve a real breakthrough, major resources were diverted to stop Operation Bluecoat in its tracks. The Germans committed the bulk of three SS Panzer Divisions to blunt the British attack. As usual, the British superiority in artillery and air power forced the Germans into a piece-meal counterattack, but the Germans were able to inflict substantial losses and save Vire. Confronted with large SS units to his front, Montgomery was forced to switch to the defensive on this front, thus ending Bluecoat without a breakthrough.

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Operation Bluecoat (BAOR Battlefield Tour Papers)

Manufacturer: Military Library Research Service Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World War II | Military | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1905696280

Book Description

Lanfranc of Pavia was archbishop of Canterbury from 1070 to 1089, and so for nineteen critical years in the history of the Anglo-Norman church and kingdom after the Norman conquest of 1066. He came to Canterbury with long experience of intellectual and ecclesiastical currents, including reforming currents, in mid-eleventh-century western Europe. At first concerned with the liberal arts, after migrating to Normandy he turned to sacred study; he commented upon the Pauline Epistles and engaged Berengar of Tours in eucharistic controversy. He became prominent in the fourishing monastic life of Normandy at Bec and as abbot of Duke William's foundation of Saint-Etienne at Caen. At Canterbury, he was King William's loyal and effective collaborator in renewing and reordering church life, using councils as a principal means. By no means a 'court-prelate', Lanfranc may be best characterized as a monk-archbishop, a role in which he was reinforced by being ex-officio abbot of a cathedral monastery at Canterbury. Canterbury's prestige and interests were a major concern; Lanfranc claimed for the see a primacy over the whole British Isles. Towards the great pope of his day, Gregory VII (1073-85), he was surprisingly cool. This is the first full scholarly study of Lanfranc for thirty years. It reconsiders his career and outstanding achievements in all major aspects, focusing on his qualities of wisdom, diligence, and statesmanship. It is an intelligent and considered historical biography which brings Lanfranc out from the shadow of his successor, St Anselm, and reveals him as among the very greatest of the archbishops of Canterbury.

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Lanfranc Scholar, Monk, and Archbishop
Herbert Edward John Cowdrey
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OOPR9Q

Book Description

Fifty years after Isaac's Storm, a riveting story of the first Hurricane Hunters, and the one crew who paid the ultimate price.

"In a virtual age when tempests are monitored by global positioning and The Weather Channel, Stormchasers reminds us that our first understanding of hurricanes was directly built on the risks and sacrifices of living, breathing heroes," writes Hampton Sides (author of Ghost Soldiers).

In September 1955, Navy Lieutenant Commander Grover B. Windham and a crew of eight flew out of Guantánamo Bay into the eye of Hurricane Janet swirling in the Caribbean: a routine weather reconnaissance mission from which they never returned. In the wake of World War II, the Air Force and the Navy had discovered a new civilian arena where daring pilots could test their courage and skill. These Hurricane Hunters flew into raging storms to gauge their strength and predict their paths. Without computer, global positioning, or satellite support, they relied on rudimentary radar systems to locate the hurricane's eye and estimated the drift of their aircraft by looking at windblown waves below. Drawing from Navy documents and interviews with members of the squadron and relatives of the crew, Stormchasers reconstructs the ill-fated mission of Windham's crew from preflight checks to the chilling moment of their final transmission. 8 b/w photographs.

Customer Reviews:

"There are bold pilots and there are old pilots,but there are no bold,old pilots.".......2006-07-03

This book has a lot more to it than suggested by its dust jacket. Rather than just a number of experiences by a few of the crews who fly into hurricanes to learn more about them;it traces the history of the individuals and their planes, as well as the theories that have been used since the end of WWII,to try and get a handle on these powerful natural occurrances,which wreck such havoc;particularly on the south-east and Gulf coasts of the US.
From this book,you will become acquainted with the theories involved,the models used and the great difficulties encountered in trying to understand and thus predict the path,strength and resulting damages of hurricanes.
There is only thing certain,and that is that ecah year,there will be a string of events,but try as they may,the forcasters will havetheir hands full. The expertize continues to improve,but the "science" of hurricanes is far from perfect.
The book will help one to much better understand the reports we will be getting from The National Hurricane Service this coming summer and fall. It appears we are in for another wild time of it.
We really gain a good insight into the power of these systems and the punishment inflicted on the planes and crews who fly into them. In spite the power it is unbelievable that only one plane and its crew ever paid the Supreme Sacrifice.
The book is an excellent read for anyone interested in understanding "Hurricane Season". I think the most amazing thing that I learned from this book is that those great forces involved with these hurricanes can cause tremendous stresses on the earth's crust,resulting in accompanying earthquakes.

Final Mission.......2003-07-27

In late September 1955, a tropical depression in the Caribbean became the 10th hurricane of the season--Janet. The Naval Air Station in Jacksonville followed standard procedure, sending out hurricane hunters from Gauantanamo Bay, Cuba, on what should have been a routine reconnaisance mission. But Lt. Cmdr. Grover Windham and his crew of eight never returned from their flight into the eye of the storm. What happened?

Toomey recounts the possible scenarios as he reconsiders the drama, but he also uses the tragedy to discuss the relatively
primitive state of weather prediction at the time.

There was no Doppler radar, no satellite imaging, no global-positioning systems. The twin-engine Neptune plane was outfitted witht he cutting-edge technology of the day---butu meterologists used pencil and paper to make graphs, and pilots still looked at the waves below to estimate their position.

Crew Five really didn't know what it would find with Hurricane Janet. It's final radio transmission at 8:30 a.m. ended, "Beginning penetration."

In the face of daunting odds and tremendous danger...........2003-03-27

David Toomey's well researched book has an astounding wealth of information that is both stunning in detail and fascinating in every aspect. This book drew my attention because of my own obsession with hurricanes, having been through several in North Carolina,(to include Fran, Bonnie,and Floyd ). During Floyd we were in the eye of the storm at night and went out and looked up into a clear, silent sky and watched as suddenly a hurricane hunter flew overhead, the only sound at all.
David Toomey details the thoughts that went into the changing views of weatheras a philosophy and the evolution into the science of meteorology. This transformation from philosophy to science is interesting. Weather phenomena was thought to be only a local event and the idea that weather traveled from one area to another was not even imagined. The idea of weather patterns was a foreign concept as well. Toomey details this transformation which spans the continents, including battles of very differing ideas. The leap in the quantity of scientific data and reliability of it's use from the the 1950's to present time is amazing.
This scientific evolution was also a big push in the development of computers, originally called a "calculating clock"(in 1623), then "stepped reckoner" (1673), and then a giant leap to the "Difference Engine" in the 1830's. This subject in and of itself would have been a great subject.
Throughout all of this history of meteorology, the key aspect of this book centers on the people that flew into the hurricanes to obtain the data that would revolutionize hurricane forecasting. Their lives are opened and the picture that is viewed is of normal, everyday men. They saw their mission in life and pursued it, even in the face of daunting odds and tremendous danger. David Toomey has written a book that covers the world of hurricanes from the science to the very human and intimate aspects that surround them and has done so in a way that both educates and captivates your attention.

Stormchasers.......2002-12-18

This glimpse into 1940's and 50's Navy airmen's exploration of hurricanes is fascinating reading, from a scientific and a human perspective. I've never read nonfiction that captured my imagination and attention so well. It's amazing to me that this story hadn't been told before. How did we come this far into the space age without knowing that people have been flying into hurricanes to study them since the 1940's? And why did those particular people believe they could, without sophisticated instruments, fly into hurricanes and come out again? This book provides suspense while informing the reader of historic events surrounding the world of weather forecasting. I look forward to reading what David Toomey writes next.

Weather Tragedy and History.......2002-11-15

Before satellite weather photos, the main way of getting information on Atlantic and Caribbean hurricanes was to fly airplanes into them. It is still being done, for it is still the best means for getting the exact location of a hurricane and details such as its speed and direction. In the more than half century of countless such patrols, only one aircraft and crew have been lost. Their story is told in _Stormchasers: The Hurricane Hunters and Their Fateful Flight into Hurricane Janet_ (Norton) by David Toomey. Toomey has gone back to look at Navy documents, interviewed members of the former Weather Reconnaissance Squadron to which the flight belonged, and talked with members of the crew's families. The book has a framework of a reconstruction of the mission of the September 1955 flight, and does so with as much detail as could possibly be gathered so many years on. The story might in itself be a little thin, but Toomey has as well given a broader picture of the history of hurricane science and general meteorology.

Reports of hurricanes at sea began to become practical after ships got radios; the first wireless report of a hurricane was in 1909. The program of reporting storms was a victim of its own success; ships' captains so well knew the danger of hurricanes that one report would send all ships steaming away from the source, making further data collection impossible. No one seriously proposed flying an airplane into a hurricane, because no one knew what such a flying environment would be like. The first flight into a hurricane was performed on a bet, in 1943, and afterwards other pilots wanted to try, and meteorological data started being taken. By 1955, the Weather Bureau, Navy, and Air Force had been sending official flights into massive storms for about a decade. The mission led by Navy Lieutenant Commander Grover B. Windham into the dangers of Hurricane Janet in the Caribbean took place in a PV2 Neptune, which looked a little like the legendary B-17, and could take a similar amount of punishment. Toomey has recreated the flight from its beginning, out of the base at Guantanamo. He can only speculate about its end; there was a final transmission from the plane, "Beginning penetration," which meant they were entering the storm. No trace of the plane or crew was ever found, and Toomey has written three possible fatal outcomes.

The details of the flight itself are well presented (and may well remind readers of The Perfect Storm), but the digressions into the important history of meteorology are fascinating. We are invited to admire that genius of amateur science, Benjamin Franklin, who noted in 1743 that a storm seemed to have tracked from Philadelphia to Boston, and who was the first to speculate that such storms travel along the country but contain winds different from their overall direction of movement. There were attempts in the last century to track a hurricane by seismograph. The reduced pressure would lift up the Earth's crust of the ocean floor, and there was some success in triangulating earthquake-type shifts detected at different stations. We no longer call hurricanes exclusively by women's names, but even in 1955, the practice was not uncontroversial. Forecasters excused themselves by saying that "like women, every hurricane is different, they are generally unpredictable, and they can make men feel small and inconsequential." Besides, no flier wanted to declare that he had "penetrated Charlie;" but in 1979, men's names started being used as well. _Stormchasers_ nicely contrasts chapters recounting the sad fate of the fliers into hurricane Janet with chapters containing an often inspiring story of scientific enquiry.

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Stormchasers: the Hurricane Hunters and Their Fateful Flight into Hurricane Janet.(Book Review): An article from: Air & Space Power Journal
Paul G. Niesen
Manufacturer: U.S. Air Force
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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ASIN: B00081Z272
Release Date: 2005-07-31

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Air & Space Power Journal, published by U.S. Air Force on December 22, 2003. The length of the article is 439 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Stormchasers: the Hurricane Hunters and Their Fateful Flight into Hurricane Janet.(Book Review)
Author: Paul G. Niesen
Publication: Air & Space Power Journal (Refereed)
Date: December 22, 2003
Publisher: U.S. Air Force
Volume: 17 Issue: 4 Page: 112(1)

Article Type: Book Review

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