Product Description
The Hawker Hurricane was the Raf's first monoplane fighter, and it dragged the air force into a position where it could defend Britain in its 'hour of need'. Prior to the Battle of Britain, a number of squadrons equipped with the fighter had seen action firstly in the 'Phoney War', and then during the disastrous campaign in France. Pilots like 'Cobber' Kain had achieved impressive scores in the face of overwhelming LUftwaffe forces, and although the RAF lost no less than 386 Hurricanes during the Blitzkried, it gave many pilots valuable experience. Hawker fighters outnumbered Spitfires during the Battle of Britain by three to one, and downed far mor aircraft. Overseas, a handful of pilots put up stiff resistance against Germany's Italian ally in Libya and Egypt, and also over Malta. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

EASY TO READ, CONTAINING ALL THE BEST OF INITIAL HURRICANES
As i am interested in the Battle of Britain, initial Hurricanes and their pilots were a target to my research. This book, as others from this series, have many pilot notes, profiles of different squadrons, pictures and a good information about main facts about Hurricanes in 1939-1940.

It is a very good book for Hurricane fans.

Refreshing about Allied dead and wound soldiers
What I love about this book is that the author tells how many Hurricane aces were killed or wounded and gives the names of most if not all those wounded/dead aces. Its about time that people start hearding about Allied dead and wounded military personnel.It is downright boring when you are always reading about the German losses particularly among German aces and never about the Allied dead especially fighter aces.

Hurricanes Try to Stop German Avalanche!
As I say in my Amazon's Profile: "I am a science fiction fan and a history buff (especially WW II, Napoleon, Civil War, Ancient Rome), I read omnivorously on these subjects."

Osprey's different collections are a great resource for History "aficionados". In a very compact book series with excellent presentation, first quality paper and nice reproductions gives the reader a succinct and complete view of the subject.
"Aircraft of the Aces" is a very specialized series, reviewing in each volume a special brand and model of aircrafts in a limited war-time period.

The present one is focused on Hurricanes during 1939 thru 1940, encompassing the Battle of France, the Battle of Britain and a brief description of Malta & North Africa (these last scenarios will be revisited in detail in other volumes of the collection).

Mr. Tony Holmes as author and editor and the art and technical team (Mr. Keith Fretwell, Mike Chapell, Mark Syrling and Iain Wyllie) has provided excellent profiles of specific airplanes, showing personal marks from the pilots, badges from the squadrons, different paintings styles, rank insignias and any relevant detail.

The photographic material is outstanding there are many less known airplanes photos (even some crashed or disabled) and portraits of British aces (actually Commonwealth as there are many Canadians, Australians & New Zealanders among them) as "Cobber" Kain, "Fanny" Orton and "Ginger" Lacey.

Mr. Holmes collects lots of personal anecdotes from pilots and some times is able to reproduce first person reports from confronting pilots, giving the reader a very dynamic perception of that specific "dog-fight".

This book is a good short volume that will be appreciated by neophytes, general public and very specially enjoyed by airplane modeling fans as it gives valuables details of different Hawker Hurricane variants.

Reviewed by Max Yofre.

Hurricane Aces, another great from this series
Tony Holmes' "Hurricane, a Fighter Legend" started my interest in second worldwar aviation again, and this book is a nice companion to the former, focussing on the merits of the plane and its pilots in those very crucial days and giving an exellent account of it.
For Hurricane colour photographs you have to have the 'fighter legend' book, but the colour sideviews in 'Hurricane Aces' are very good, and more than make up for the lack of colour photographs. Very good in my opinion is the last part of the book, where all planes depicted in the sideviews get their own small piece of history, including their eventual fate in most cases.

A comprehensive account of the early aces who flew a legend.
This excellent account covers the pilots who were some of the first RAF aces during WW2, whilst also giving a superb history of the early part of this legendary fighter's operational combat career. I've always had a softspot for the Hawker Hurricane and the extraordinary young men who flew andfought in it. The Spitfire has received an unfair share of the credit forthe victory that was the Battle of Britain, despite the fact thattwo-thirds of the RAF fighter squadrons were composed of Hurricanes.'Spitfire snobbery' was displayed by downed German aircrew, who refused toaccept that they could have been bested by anything less than a Spifire.The careers of pilots such as Kain, Brothers and Frantisek illustrate howthis magnificent machine was the equal to anything the Luftwaffe flew. Thisis an informative and fascinating account of the part played by brave youngmen, and the legend that was their steed, during the darkest days of WW2. ... Read more

Product Description
The 1987 NCAA championship football game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the University of Miami Hurricanes is often considered the most memorable championship game in all of college football history. Both teams were undefeated going into the game, but the Hurricanes were heavily favored, as they had demolished each of their opponents during the regular season. Penn State pulled off one of the most surprising upsets on January 2, 1987, by handing the University of Miami team its only loss of the season. In The Perfect Season, with help from the Penn State players involved, Missanelli retells the story not just of this championship game but also of Penn State's entire season. Beginning with its Orange Bowl loss in 1985 (Penn State's only loss that year), Missanelli recounts the glorious 1986 season through the eyes of those Penn State athletes. The book also focuses on the media’s buildup of the national championship, explaining why the University of Miami team was considered the villain in this battle. Numerous anecdotes stories are included, such as the incident where the University of Miami team arrived at the Fiesta Bowl wearing combat fatigues in an attempt to wage psychological war on its opponents. But such tactics appeared to have little effect the Penn State Nittany Lions, whose tenacity resulted in victory in the final minutes of the game. Drawing on interviews as well as his own recollections, the author relates the vivid story of one of the most triumphant seasons in the history of Penn State football. Anyone interested in college football, the Nittany Lions, or Joe Paterno's legacy will find this book impossible to put down. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

PERFECT
The Perfect Season.The book proves that the "good guys" can win.Joe Paterno is the perfect man for coaching young people. This season tells how you can"do it right" and still win.A great college football read!

Man, what a book!!!!
Man what a book!!!!Fortunately for me, I was a student at PSU when this game was played.Some of the players were in my classes and some of them I knew on a first name basis.

This book took me back to a time when life was simpler and simple satisfactions, like football, at the time meant little, but over time they mean a lot more.

The author takes you into the game.Not just what you saw on TV and how the announcers made it look, but really takes you into the pre-game, how the Fiesta Bowl people did what they did to get this game played on Jan 2.

He takes you on the field with each of the players 20 years later as they relive the greatest college game that they ever played.Even the insights from the Miami players makes this book totally complete.

I couldn't put it down and am glad I bought it.I gave it to my Brother and he read it in about 4 days.

Great book, great story

Perfectly written: The Perfect Season
Mike Misannelli did a fantastic job on this well researched, well written time capsule. It helped me recall my fondest memories of a magical season.
I strongly recommend reading the book, then watching the D.V.D. of the game. ... Read more

Product Description
The ultimate inside story of the Katrina tragedy—from the cofounder of the LSU Hurricane Center

After warning for years about the looming threat of catastrophic flooding in New Orleans, Ivor van Heerden was one of the highest-profile media experts during the Katrina disaster. Over the following eighteen months, he was even more prominent as he challenged the official version of those events and campaigned for an engineering plan that would protect all of southeastern Louisiana, once and for all. In The Storm, van Heerden lays out in full detail the stunning incompetence among the bureaucrats, the politicians, and the Army Corps of Engineers that culminated in the catastrophe that crippled, perhaps forever, a great American city. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

"The Storm"
The author explains the truth behind the chaos and destruction that occurred in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.The severity of a storm like this was predicted well in advance, yet local and state leaders failed to heed the call.Impelling.

The book Prof. Ivorwas fired for...
I am not going to write in any detail about this book, as previous reviews have already done so. The book is reader-friendly for those, like me, without the academic ken.

But there is another story to this book which recommends it: Dr. Ivor van Heerden was fired from his position at LSU because he DARED to speak the truth--before Katrina came, during Katrina, and after Katrina. Over 1000 people died needlessly in the Gulf States. And for a man, who for as long as I can remember, has begged, literally begged attention for what he knew, and every one of his colleagues knew was going to happen, [and WILL happen again]: that a hurricane strong enough would sink this city, UNLESS...

Think about that for a moment.

This man KNEW, within an absolute probability, that a Katrina could have devastating implications for New Orleans; and yet the powers that be refused to listen. They laughed at him. And people died. And they are still dying. And there is misery peeking around every corner of our optimism, because we know that despite Katrina, the cries of this excellent man continue to falldeaf upon the ears that could actuate change in this region and prevent the next catastrophe.

Dr. Ivor, I suspect, is like me these days. My heart is a graveyard, dugover the mess that was Katrina.

This book is enthralling. You will pound your fists in anger and frustration. You will ask, why. Why? Why!!!!

Shame on LSU.

Dr. Ivor, you have been our champion and WE know this. I doubt there is a soul in NOLA who does not love you.

Shame on LSU. Shame.

Great book!
I had read several books about Katrina but this book finally gave me the best understanding of what went wrong.I still plan to keep reading the books that Katrina spawned.Buy this paperback for your library!

Book review and Amazon Service
The book (The Storm) is an excellent, well written and informative review of what went wrong in New Orleans following Katrina.Amazon's service in processing my order was excellent as usual!

Unvarnished Truth
I picked this book up in the Tulane bookstore where my daughter and I stopped the day we finished our assigned tasks for the week we were there to work on rebuilding.She "needed" a Tulane t-shirt and I browsed for something to read on the airplane home.I read it straight through on the way back to California.

The myths of Katrina persist.Some of our group still believe some of them.Even with the first hand experience and stories of those who were there.This book allows me to speak with authority about what went wrong... and what went right.

We are an arrogant bunch, we Americans.Our collective elevator attitude needs to come down a couple of floors.It's what put New Orleans at risk and drowned that city.It's what IS putting my city at risk (assessed by the Army Corps of Engineers to be at a higher risk than New Orleans before Katrina is probability of levee failure and in total devastation...happy, no?).It's what has put our economy and thus our basic survival at risk.

This book outlines how we got there in startling graphic detail.

And how all of that was known and purposely ignored well in advance of Katrina. ... Read more

Product Description
A powerful love story and an epic adventure, From Hurricane Katrina to the Middle East: A True Love Story is author Jo Ann Godfrey's tale of how she finds her soul mate under the most surprising and dramatic conditions of her life. When Godfrey begins falling for Gary, he has already accepted a job in Saudi Arabia and she stays behind in New Orleans. But when Katrina hits, the hurricane sets off a series of events that will change both their lives forever. From Hurricane Katrina to the Middle East: A True Love Story is the inspiring tale of how one woman never gives up hope, stays positive, and uses the lessons of her past to catapult her into the future beyond her wildest dreams. A profound romance, Godfrey's memoir is sure to touch hearts and win her many devoted readers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Inspirational story
I flew with Jo Ann in the Delta New Orleans days, and lived thru the aftermath of Katrina. Her story offers hope and courage to all cancer survivors, and most importantly reminds us to never give up on finding a true soul mate.......

Inspirational read!
I usually don't sit still long enough for reading, but finished this book in 2 nights after being unable to put it down.Living in the New Orleans area, I could relate to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.And being a relatively new bride, I enjoyed stories of a new love.But most of all, I was inspired by life lessons that the author gained along the way, and her ability to share them in such a beautiful and practical way. It's a book any gal is bound to enjoy!

Sharon from Texas
WOW! Love the book. Read it in one day on my kindle. Would recommend it to all of my friends and have especially for my friends who are still looking for that happy ending with love.From Hurricane Katrina to the Middle East - A True Love Story: With Life Lessons Learned

Could relate to this book!
Loved the book the read was easy and the contents compelling.Especially nice since I worked with the author.Think everyone will enjoy it as much as I did. The book arrived Saturday from Amazon and could not put it down.

Couldn't put it down!
From Hurricane Katrina to the Middle East - A True Love Story: With Life Lessons LearnedAn inspirational journey that takes you through love, loss and above all, perseverance.Her descriptive writing allows one the opportunity of an in depth look into her travel through life as well as different countries.A learning experience for all to enjoy!

I loved the inspirational quotes at the end of each chapter as well as the list of them at the end of the book.Easy access to great quotes and even advice on how to use them.

Clearly a straight from the heart story. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Although Florida has been struck by more hurricanes thanany other region of the continental United States, most people livingin South Florida in 1992 had never experienced a hurricane. On August24, in a matter of hours, Hurricane Andrew ravaged communities on theSouth Florida coast, leaving 250,000 homeless and physical damages ofclose to $30 billion. Based on interviews with survivors and rescueworkers in the weeks and months that followed, In the Eye of HurricaneAndrew is the extraordinary story of one of the most destructivenatural disasters in modern American history as told by the people wholived through it.

From a psychological and social point of view, Andrew was unprecedented.

While the book relates thehistory of the storm and its consequences, its greatest strength is the personal level at which it engages the reader. Nearly 100 people representing diverse backgrounds share their experiences, from a mother who weathered the storm in a tiny bathroom shared with another adult, four children, and a dog, to a roofer who traveled from Tennessee to help in the rebuilding process, to Bryan Norcross, the TV weatherman whose voice guided many through the storm. Their testimonies create a real sense of how Andrew impacted each human being—the decision to evacuate or not, preparations, what happened during the storm, the clean-up, looting, price gouging, rebuilding, and living in the aftermath. Providing a context for these oral histories, the book also draws upon a wide range of published sources such as newspaper and documentary accounts. A comprehensive bibliography includes government reports, conference proceedings, maps, and video recordings. Photos from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration supplement the engaging text to reveal the incredible before and after, testifying to the ingenuity and resiliency of South Floridians carrying on in the face of such devastation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Incomplete
"In the Eye of Hurricane Andrew" is a collection of first hand accounts of people who survived the horrible disaster and it's aftermath in South Florida.It is NOT an overall history of the storm, as it doesn't cover what it wrought upon the Gulf Coast after hitting Florida.It is also NOT a compelling narrative history, like the book "Issac's Strom" about the 1900 Galveston Hurricane.It is, however, fairly brief at less than 150 pages of narrative and contains only a few black & white photographs.

Given the above, I would recommend this book primarily for South Florida victims of the storm as well as to anyone doing research about hurricanes.General readers will not find much of interest here. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
While in Charleston, South Carolina, to help their grandfather's friend, Mrs. Ashleigh, repair her house, which has been damaged in a hurricane, the Boxcar Children become embroiled in a mystery involving someone hunting for pirate's treasure on Mrs. Ashleigh's property. Simultaneous. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The Hurricane Mystery (Box Children Mysteries)
This book is about four children and a dog who help an elderly woman fix her house which was partly destroyed during a hurricane. While helping her fix her house, they discovery pirate's gold in a gate on the front yard of the house.

The children are brother and sisters. They are Benny Alden who is six years old, Violet Alden who is 10 years old, Jessie Alden who is 12 years old and Henry Aldenwho is fourteen years old.The dog's name is Watch Alden. He is a terrier. The elderly woman's name is Mrs. Ashleigh.

The children were know as the boxcar children. They were called this because after their parents died, they didn't realize that their grandfather James was looking for them, and they lived in a box car until their grandfather found them. The grandfather took the children back to live with him and brought the boxcar with him so the children would feel comfortable.

While fixing the house, the children hear tales that the island that the house was on contained pirate's buried treasure. The house was located on Sullivan Island which is off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina.

The gate to Mrs. Ashleigh's fence was known as the Pirate's Gate. It was called that because her great great great great grandfather who's name was Mr. Fitzhugh was supposed to have been a pirate.During the hurricane, the gate landed in a neighbors yard. When the children looked for the gate, they saw that the neighbor who's name is Jackie James was trying to put the gate in her car. The children quickly told her that the gate belonged to Mrs. Ashleigh and they had the gate brought back to Mrs. Ashleigh's yard.

Because the gate had been broken, Mrs. Ashley arranged for a gate repairman named Mr. Farrier to fix the gate. During the time that this was being done, the children found some papers in Mrs. Ashleigh's home which contained a treasure map. They took the map outside the house to try to follow it and find the treasure. While Benny was holding the map, someone came and stole the map. The theif was wearing a grey jacket.

While the children were looking at more papers in Mrs. Ashleigh's home, they found information about the gate. It turned out that Mr. Fitzhugh ordered the maker of the gate to make it hollow. The children thought that gold was inside the gate.

When Mr. Farrier brought back the gate, the children told him what they thought. Instead of attaching the gate to the fence, he brought it back into Mrs. Ashleigh's house. The children now decided to set a trap to catch the thief who stole the treasure map. They put the gate against the fence and went into Mrs. Ashleigh's house. In the meantime, a hurricane began and Mrs. Ashleigh closed all the windows and doors. The children could not see outside. After the storm passed, they told their grandfather about their plan. When they looked outside, the gate was missing. As they looked around, they saw that someone was taking it. Watch ran and grabbed the person's leg. It turned out to be Mike Carsen. He was the same person in the grey jacket. The other person helping him was Jackie James. They were trying to steal the gate so they could sell it.

Mrs. Ashleigh decided to donate the gate to a museum on the island. The gate was displayed at the museum information about how it was found and how the children solved the mystery.

Mysterious things and action.
As you can tell by the title, this is a mystery book.

The setting of the story is in an island called Sullivans Island, and all occurs in a neighborhood.
Sullivan's Island is small and plain. The neighborhood is full of old houses. In the oldest one of these houses is where the mystery occurs.

The main characters in the story are Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny. They are the box Car Children. Other characters are Mrs. and Mr. Asheligh, Jackie, Mike and Mr. Farrier.
Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny are brothers and they love to solve mysteries. Mrs. Asheling is a nice woman who has a not so nice son called Mr. Asheling. Jackie and Mike seem nice and good, but at the end of the story they are totally the opposite. Mr. Farrier is an expert on things like iron and also about a buried treasure.

At the beggining of the story Mrs. Asheling tells the Box Car Children, about a special gate: The pirate's gate.
Sice that moment on the children wanted to find the treasure.

The problem begins when, in the middle of the treasure hunt, they fall in a mystery. The mysterywas that someone was trying to steal the pirate's gate.

The resolution to the problem happened when the Box Car Children made a trap and trapped the thieves. Then they noticed the gate was the treasure because it was made of pure gold.
At the end of the story, to make sure the gate was safe, they donnated it to a museum.
I recommend this book to everyone because it is an exciting story, full of mysterious things and action.
It is an excellent book. Buy it now and read it! I hope you do it.You won't be sorry.
ALEX

Mystery and Hurricane
I enjoyed this book.It is a mystery during the hurricane season in South Carolina.The mystery is about the Alden children looking for a pirate treasure but someone else is looking for it too!Who do you think will get it?I think you will like this book because it is a mystery to solve and you learn about hurricanes.

The Pirate's Gate Secret
The Boxcar Children went to Charleston to help Mrs Ashleigh clean up her house after a recent hurricane had messed it up.But someone had been trying to steal one of Mrs Ashleigh's valuables, the Pirate's Gate.Why?Read this book to find out. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Powerful
My copy of "The Storm" came today, and it's stunning.Everyone in my office stood around in the hallway as we looked through the kids' memories and drawings, utterly absorbed.At least five people immediately said they were going to order copies -- both for themselves, and for their schools.

The book has an almost visceral impact; the hurricane could have been yesterday, so strong are the emotional responses to reading it.We just wanted to gather all the kids in our arms, and somehow make the world right again. ... Read more

Product Description
The ultimate guide to the ultimate storms, Hurricane Watch is a fascinating blend of science and history from one of the world's foremost meteorologists and an award-winning science journalist.This in-depth look at these awe-inspiring acts of nature covers everything from the earliest efforts by seafarers at predicting storms to the way satellite imaging is revolutionizing hurricane forecasting.It reveals the latest information on hurricanes: their effects on ocean waves, the causes of the variable wind speeds in different parts of the storm, and the origins of the super-cooled shafts of water that vent at high altitudes.Hurricane Watch is a compelling history of man's relationship with the deadliest storms on earth.

Includes:

- The story of the nineteenth-century Cuban Jesuit whose success at predicting the great cyclones was considered almost mystical.

- A new look at Isaac Cline, whose infamous failure to predict the Galveston Hurricane left him obsessed with the devastating effects of storm surge.

- The story of the Hurricane Hunters, including the first man ever to deliberately fly into a hurricane.

- A complete account of how computer modeling has changed hurricane tracking.

- A history of Project Stormfury: the only significant, organized effort to reduce the damaging strength of severe hurricanes.

- A unique firsthand account of Hurricane Andrew by both authors, who were at the National Hurricane Center when Andrew struck.

- A listing of the deadliest storms in history.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Hurricane Watch:
The thrilling hurricanes put me on needles and pins.I felt like I was there when it went through.I would recommend this book to all readers of storms.Thank you.

Karen Kay Ullom

Wealth of information and still readable!
Dr. Bob Sheets is a previous director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Jack Williams helped found the USA TODAY Weather Page.Together these two well respected men combine their unique talents, introspection , scientific facts with intriguing anecdotal tales. The resultmaywell beone of the ultimate books about hurricanes from their formationto the evolution of man's ability to understand and predict their path and power. They blend thelines of scientific fact andhuman experience yielding an accessible guide to a more in-depth understanding of hurricanes.The book covers the early days of meteorology, when it was perceived as almost a mythical ability to the more current up to the moment technological advances at the forefront of climatology and prediction.Also included are tables listing the deadliest hurricanes, strongest hurricanes and costliest storms. The Saffir-Simpson scale is explained and laid out along with a table detailing the strike possibilities by region.There is a section that deals with the computer models utilized by the National Hurricane Center, both the statistical and dynamic forecast models, from CLIPERto SHIPS, from GFDL to NOGAPS.Each model is detailed andit's purpose and focus are explained.
Finally there is the most important section, on how to prepare for a hurricane, from things to do before you buy or build your home, preparing ahead of time for hurricane season and what to do from the time a watch is issued, the hurricane arrives andafter the hurricane has passed.This book is a wealth of information for those whose lives may depend upon an understanding of hurricane predictions andthe ability to prepare themselves and their families for the possible onslaught of the hurricane season.

Prophetic
This book is like a Colombo murder mystery.You know "who did it," it's just will he or she be caught in time.The answer to the question, in this case, is "no."

Dr Sheet's book is a very thorough commentary on the history and study of hurricanes.He provides the reader with an interesting background narrative of hurricanes and their destructiveness that dates from the early experiences of Spanish explorers and early European settlers in the Caribbean, the east and southeast coasts of the US and Canada.He also discusses the typhoon or cyclone in the Pacific and the odd phenomenon that dictates that when there are more of these, there are fewer hurricanes in the Atlantic.He also covers the North Atlantic Oscillation and El Niño, though to a lesser degree than Brian Fagan did in one of his weather/climate discussions. Of far greater historical interest-to me anyway-is his discussion of the various personalities involved in researching hurricanes.It's surprising how much solid study was conducted as early as the 19th century.

The author also describes the big name hurricanes.Probably the best is his own experience of Hurricane Andrew in Florida.The story is riveting, especially when, having lived through a very precarious situation himself, he expresses concern over the very real possibility that the storm might move on into the Gulf of Mexico and hit New Orleans.The book was written in the late 1990s, but he is able to thoroughly describe the potential destruction should a hurricane hit the city in full force. As we know, Andrew did not move into the New Orleans area, but Katrina did. The outcome was much as the author had predicted.With so much foresight, it makes one wonder why authorities could have been so lax in taking precautions.It was, in fact, much as many had already said, a case of "not if, but when."

The answer seems to reside in that peculiar sense of probability that dictates that "if it didn't happen in my grandfather's time, and it didn't happen in my father's time, it won't happen mine."Human experience of climate is actually the experience of weather, a relatively short-term phenomenon.While the human life span seems quite long compared to other types of animal, it's infinitesimally short compared to the age of the earth, which is the time frame of climate.It's this grander scale of climatic change that makes the discussions over global warming so contentious, and the appropriate actions to be taken the subject of feud.Everyone has his or her own opinion, and the fact is that we really don't know.The author makes this point when he discusses the possibility that there will be more frequent and more destructive storms with the advent of global warming.Here too, they don't know, but the author is inclined to doubt it.That there will be storms as destructive as Andrew he accepts; that they will be more costly he agrees.But he feels that the latter will be due more to the increasing population of the areas subject to these storms and the unpreparedness of new comers in the face of a phenomenon with which they have no experience.

What is amazing to me is that the areas subject to a force of nature as fierce as a hurricane continue to grow in population and that building continues to be substandard, at least under the circumstances, but then the San Andreas fault system is heavily settled with buildings far too fragile to survive another 1906-style earthquake and the fertile flanks of Vesuvius lure farmers to them irrespective of its reputation for death and destruction.The human capacity to ignore what "might" happen looms ever optimistic.

"Hurricane watch"
"Hurricane Watch Forecasting the Deadliest Storms on Earth" was an excellent book. It had many great facts on hurricanes in it. It gave me more understanding on hurricanes and how they start. This book is very helpful if you are studying meteorology. This book is written by Dr. Bob Sheets former director of the National Hurricane Center. He was in charge of predicting the tracks of hurricanes and sending out warnings to the people of the communities where the hurricane will hit. The book goes through the history on predicting hurricanes. It starts with Christopher Columbus and ends with hurricane Andrew. Since it is a sort of old book some of the "New technology" in the book is out dated. Also it does not have anything about the strong hurricanes of today. I recommend this book for anybody who likes to learn about the history of hurricanes. The book had facts on the history of hurricanes. The book was interesting in many places but had some boring spots. Also the book talked about people flying planes into hurricanes for reconnaissance. It had the history of the reconnaissance planes starting from World War 2 to now. The book was a fairly long book. The end of the book had appendices that had facts from hurricanes in the past. It also has a list of all of the hurricanes from 2001 to 2006. In some parts of the book I could not put it down but in other parts it was boring. The book had many great pictures. Some pictures were about what happened after they hit and others were about radar and what the hurricanes looked like from above. If you like meteorology and hurricanes this book is for you. Also if you need to do some research on hurricanes I would recommend this book to you.

Lots of good information!
I was in the middle of reading this book when Hurricane Katrina started heading toward us here in Louisiana. While everyone else was talking about the hurricane and its projected path, I was able to understand exactly what the forecasters were talking about. This book explains the dynamics of a hurricane very well - how, where and why they form, and an explanation of the weather phenomena that forecasters (and forecasting models) use to project its path.

One thing this book has made me realize is that weather is an imperfect science. It seems many people think forecasters are pointless because they're often wrong, but what they don't realize is that there is a LOT we don't know about weather. And we're a lot better off knowing what we know today! It is also strange to continue reading this after Katrina, because there is mention of intense, deadly hurricanes throughout history - and Katrina has really set a new precedent (Rewrite? Heck, I'd buy a 2nd edition!). This is a book that calls for a re-reading anyway. It is so jam-packed with interesting information. There are many explanations of weather phenomena that I had to read several times over because I'm not a scientifically-minded person. This book explains things very well - but I find that with weather-talk, it helps to have diagrams. Unfortunately, this book has very few (in fact, looking through, I can only find one diagram).

This book has excellent appendices! --> A list of hurricane names (2001-06), retired hurricane names. The hurricane probabilities chart is particularly fascinating - it lists names of Atlantic/Gulf coast cities and the probabilities of a hurricane/major hurricane hitting within a given year (Miami/Ft Lauderdale appear to be the two most vulnerable areas). Strongest hurricanes, most deadly hurricanes, most expensive hurricanes (including what past hurricanes would cost today). A glossary of forecasting models. A separate glossary of hurricane terminology. All excellent additions to this book!!

If you are reading this review, it means you're interested in hurricane books. And if that's the case, you NEED to read this one! - especially if you don't know much about the dynamics of hurricanes. (and if you live on either the Atlantic or Gulf coast) ... Read more

Product Description
The Hurricane saw widespread action with Allied forces, as the RAF's first monoplane fighter. This book describes its many feats throughout 1945. It served as a fighter-bomber on the Channel Front, where the American Eagles and Polish units were amongst the Fighter Command squadrons flying the Hurricane, and where some of its highest-scoring aces operated. The Sea Hurricane was the principal fighter deployed by the Fleet Air Arm in the Mediterranean, and Hurricane units continued to operate from bases in India and Ceylon until 1945, following their failure to defend Singapore and Malaya from the Japanese. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Recommended!
I am an artwork freak and with 40 color illustrations I felt I got my money's worth, made up for the B-2 book! The Hurricane always has a special place in my heart.No coverage of VVS Hurricanes but I did not expect that so I am very happy with the book. Recommended to Hurricane fanatics.

Lovely book, but could use some editing
Fighting from England after BoB (Battle of Britain), pilots then moved to Malta, the desert and on aircraft carriers in the Atlantic Ocean. Then later in the war to Burma, China and India.

I read 'Hurricane aces' for a few days and thought it to be a good buy. But... It could use an editer; periods should have been used there, comas here and capitlization there. But overall the book was good. The rugged Hurricane fought Bf-109s over the Channel, Mc.202s (C.202s in the book) and G.50s over the desert, and Ki-27 and Ki-43s in Asia.
This book has aces such as Marmaduke T. St.John Pattle (known as 'Pat' Pattle in the book), Jack Storey, Raold Dahl, Karel Kuttelwascher and more.
The book boasts 82 pages of information you will need to gain knowledge about British and other Hurricane aces from Europe, Africa and the Pacific.
Other than an editer, the book was great. A recommended book from me.

Hurricanes in Action Around the World!
During the 1941-45 timeframe the Hawker Hurricane saw action in every theater around the world as day fighters, fighter-bombers, night intruders and nightfighters. These combats added an additional 60+ names to the Hurricane aces list. Andrew Thomas wraps up Osprey's coverage of the Hurri's combat career in this nicely done volume, #57 in the 'Aircraft of the Aces' series.

Thomas summarizes the Hurricane's global combats in chapters devoted to the ETO, Mediterranean, North Africa and Far East, chapters that illustrate how varied the aircraft's later-war career was. In the 'Offence and Defence' chapter for example, Thomas relates Hurricane use in cross-Channel fighter sweeps, nightfighter/intruder ops and service on board CAM ships and Royal Navy carriers in the Atlantic and North Atlantic.

The aces encountered in this book read like a Who's Who of RAF fighter pilots - Pat Pattle, Frank Carey, Bill Vale, 'Boy' Mould, Karel Kuttelwascher, Willie McKnight, Jack Storey and so on. That they accomplished so much, given that by 1941, the Hurricane was getting long in the tooth, speaks volumes for their piloting skills and fighter spirit.

Thomas' book is a well-done, broadbrush chronicle of victories, defeats, rough times and ultimate victory. The comprehensive text is illustrated with over 100 photographs and ten pages of color profiles by John Weal.

Air combat enthusiasts and fans of Hawker's humpbacked warhorse will enjoy this book.

*****
The initial Osprey 'Hurricane Aces' volume, authored by Tony Holmes in 1998, added an extra 32 pages to tell the 1939-40 Hurricane story. I would have liked Osprey to have done the same with Thomas' book. Given the scope of the subject, extra pages would have been great. ... Read more

Product Description
In the summer of 1940 the fate of Europe hung in the balance. Victory in the forthcoming air battle would mean national survival; defeat would establish German tyranny. The Luftwaffe greatly outnumbered the RAF, but during the Battle of Britain it was the RAF that emerged triumphant, thanks to two key fighter planes, the Spitfire and the Hurricane. The Hurricane made up over half of Fighter Command's front-line strength, and its revolutionary design transformed the RAF's capabilities. Leo McKinstry tells the story of the remarkable plane from its designers to the first-hand testimonies of those brave pilots who flew it; he takes in the full military and political background but always keeps the human stories to the fore - to restore the Hawker Hurricane to its rightful place in history. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

The Last Hurricane Pilots Speak!
Brian Milton's HURRICANE, THE LAST WITNESSES is an informative, touching collection of reminiscences from pilots - British and otherwise - who flew the Hawker Hurricane in combat during World War II. Given that 2010 is the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, a sizeable portion of the book is devoted to BoB reminiscenes but other war theaters are covered as well.

Though it was superseded by the incomparable Spitfire, Sydney Camm's humpbacked fighter played a dominant role in early ETO air battles, accounted for the bulk of kills over Luftwaffe aircraft in the BoB and played substantial roles over the Med, in North Africa, the Far East, etc. Milton tracked down and interviewd 18 Hurri pilots. Ten flew in the Battle of France and/or the BoB. The remaining eight saw combat over Malta, the Western Desert, Dutch East Indies, etc. Readers will instantly recognize some of the pilots such as Billy Drake, Bob Doe, Peter Ayerst, Terence Kelly and Eric Brown. Others like Bill Swan, John Ellacombe, Tom Adams and Graham Skellum are little known, which makes their experiences even more valuable.

After a chapter introducing the 18 fliers, Milton briefly traces RAF history and development prior to WWII and then launches into the Battle of France, BoB, etc., interweaving individual pilot's accounts against the larger backdrop of war. Their sometimes lengthy reminiscences are brutally honest, sometimes caustic, sometimes humorous and inevitably self-effacing. No line-shooting here! Milton wisely lets the men have their full say, little editing being in evidence.

While reading HURRICANE, THE LAST WITNESSES is a treat, a touch of sadness permeates the book. Milton refers to each pilot as 'Last Witness so-and-so.' The reader begins to get a sense that these ARE the last of their breed. Once they 'go west' like their former compatriots Stanford Tuck, Frank Carey, Eric Lock, Douglas Bader, etc., the world will be a sadder place.

HURRICANE,THE LAST WITNESSES is, therefore, not only a lively, first-person account of WWII fighter combat but a tribute to those long-ago warriors who launched themselves and their trusty Hurricane mounts against the forces of evil. Recommended.

*****

NB. One curious gaffe in the book - the chapter on the only Fighter Command VC of the war, James B. Nicolson, is entitled 'Eric Nicholson, VC.' ... Read more

Product Description
It is one of only two books listed by the Library of Congress that is entirely devoted to Hurricane Camille. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Avoid this book. Not worth the read.
Horrible book filled with numerous inaccuracies. Among the most noticeable was the part about the so-called "Hurricane Party". The party never happened and Mary Ann Gerlach was not the lone survivor, several people survived the destruction of the Richilieu apartments. Seriously get it right. The book also contained numerous meteorological errors. Sad that this book glosses over one of the most well known and destructive hurricanes to have ever hit the United States.

Yawn....A fabulous story ruined by a poor writer
As a native Mississippian, Hurricane Camille has always been rather mythic.Stories of those who lost their lives as well as those who survived the tragedy have been passed on to many.

As a result, I was excited to read this book.My excitement quickly turned to a big YAWN.The writing is so poor, it is laughable.I cannot believe this author won awards for reporting.Clearly, reporting is much different than writing a book.He offered us no emotional connection to the victims.They were not presented uniquely enough to differentiate and the experiences Hearn reported on were strangely similar between the 15 featured families/individuals.

Also irritating was Hearn's repeated mentions of the victims being saved by god, etc.Over and over was this mentioned.I felt that it was an underlying message that Hearn was trying to communicate, and I resented this.

Do not waste your time on this book.It's like being forced to read something for a school book report.

a tease
A book which is not bad as a quickie read on the basics of Camille, but it comes up quite short as an authoritative source on the storm. Many survivors stories, while compelling at times, begin to sound repetitive, and, strangely enough, leave the reader with a sense that not all has been told.
It is also quite apparent that the author is a born-again Christian, as he often elects to print survivor contentions that they were saved from the storm by their personal Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Not that this is bad per se, but is does add to the repetitiveness of the narrative, and after hearing it once it seems superfluous, as well as adding a hidden agenda to the text.
This is not a National Geographic-style book about Camille; it tends to stay on a base emotional level; hardly detached, never scientific, and certainly not the last word on the topic. A disappointment, in short.

My Family is Featured in This Book
The date of August 17, 1969 will forever haunt me.Only nine years old at the time, I stood in the driveway of my family's home in Ocean Springs, Mississippi as the rain began that evening.As people like to describe it, we "hunkered down" to ride it out:my brother, dad, my maternal grandmother, and me.Oh, and the cats, too.Just a few hours later we were fleeing for our lives.The cats were let out to locate higher ground.They would surely die if locked in the house behind us.

Our story is featured in this book, drawn from the interview that my father (John A. Switzer) did with the Oral History Project of the University of Southern Mississippi.Reading the book gave me chills and I realized that childhood trauma really never leaves a person.

Hearn's book is far from perfect.Some might argue that it's not really "well" written.But I recommend it nonetheless, because it does a great service in recounting and preserving in an easily-accessible way, the stories of average people who almost didn't live through the night and early morning of August 17-18, 1969.

There are some unfortunate inaccuracies that I hope will be corrected if this is reprinted.And the style seems rushed.Perhaps Mr. Hearn was in a hurry to get to press.But, overall, it's a chance for the reader to be inserted into the life-and-death struggle of several people and families.For that, Mr. Hearn has my great appreciation.This book is available in softcover, as was the copy I purchased at a local bookstore.

A Minor Account of a Major Catastrophe
Camille was one of three category five hurricanes to strike the United States of America during the 20th Century.

With sustained winds of 200 miles per hour, the second-lowest barometric reading recorded on the face of the earth, and a record storm surge of 24 feet, it came ashore on the Mississippi gulf coast on the night of 17 August 1969.By dawn 131 people were known dead and another 41 were missing, never to be recovered.Communities on the eastern side of the Mississippi gulf coast sustained significant damage; communities on the central and western Mississippi gulf coast were devastated.The remnants of the storm then flashed north, bringing torrential rains that touched off flash floods that claimed another hundred lives in Virginia and West Virginia.

I, all of eight years old at the time, was on the edge of the storm.My family resided in Pascagoula, a Mississippi coastal community near the Alabama border.We evacuated, and although Pascagoula sustained significant damage it was mild in comparison to what we saw when we--like many others--raced to take food, water, and clothing to friends who resided further west.The images are burned into my brain.

For many years I wondered why a historian did not turn attention to the horrors of Hurricane Camille.In 2004 I was pleased to find that one had: Philip D. Hearn, working from documentation at the University of Southern Mississippi, published HURRICANE CAMILLE: MONSTER STORM OF THE GULF COAST.The book debuted with considerable fanfare on the Mississippi gulf coast--but, unlike its subject, just as quickly made a noise like a hoop and rolled away.Consequently I did not come to the book until two years after its publication.Upon reading the book I understood why it failed to satisfy.

Unlike some other reviewers, I do not feel that Hearn is a bad writer per se; it is very clear, however, that he lacks the gift for sustained narrative, and his academic tone undercuts most of the human drama involved.His scope is also remarkably small: excluding preface and end notes, CAMILLE runs to slightly less than two hundred pages in slightly larger-than-usual typeface, and of its seven chapters at least two focus more upon the general history of hurricane strikes and the process of their formation than upon Hurricane Camille itself.

The end result rather like a credible if uninspired master's thesis.It is, at best, a minor account of a major catastrophe--and I found myself repeatedly frustrated with what I considered Hearn's failure to follow up interesting events and details in favor of information that seemed more properly suited to end notes.Still, now and then the personal accounts from which Hearn worked breaks through in a real and very powerful way; Hearn also does, I think, a very effective job in dispelling the myth of the "hurricane party" that was said to have been held at the ill-fated Richelieu Apartments.For these reasons I cannot bring myself to dismiss the book out of hand.

Some thirty years ago Biloxi, Mississippi and coastal cities further west were flattened by Camille.Today, with the advent of casino gaming and the ensuing construction boom, a tourist would be hard pressed to notice anything unusual about the area.But I, who now live in this city, can take you to the beach and point out the island that was split into two sections by the storm; I can take you to the marker, now overgrown with weeds, that notes the point at which the waves of "killer" Camille finally stopped.On the night of 17 August 1969 a monster came out of the sea; those who felt its power, no matter how slightly, cannot forget it; and we still await an account that will do justice to the event.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer ... Read more

Product Description
Describes the movements and destructive power of hurricanes and explains how they are predicted and monitored. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Where is the hardback edition?
Canongate has apparently decided to forego the hardcover edition for this and possibly future titles in the series. Their explanation makes no apparent sense.

"We understand the frustration that changes in format for a series can cause, however we do also have to consider each title individually to make sure that it is available in the edition most appropriate for that particular title."

Readers and collectors of the series are understandably upset, as the series was shaping up to be a beautiful collection, both in terms of writing and design. Hopefully they'll reinstate the hardcover soon. I feel sorry for Klas Östergren, though, whose entry in the series will likely lose readers as a result.
... Read more

Product Description
In the late twenty-first century, earth is wracked by political and ecological crises, and the Aeon Foundation launches a starship to find a new world and found a new civilization, with all the advances of science and without the mistakes made on earth. Catharin Gault is the idealistic astronaut-physician in Aeon's primary crew. Along with the rest of the crew and passenger-colonists, she goes into stasis--cold suspended animation--for the long journey across the stars, their collective fate surrendered to the ship's artificial intelligence.

Things go amiss even before the new world's beginning. Programmed to search for a planet with a large moon (the only way to guarantee stable seasons, tides, and an earthlike ecosystem after terraforming), the ship takes far too long, then finds a destination better than Catharin ever dared hope for: two earth-sized planets locked in orbit around each other. The one dubbed "Planet Green" has abundant plant life and a paucity of large animals. "Planet Blue" is an oceanic world covered with hurricanes. Several things about Blue baffle Aeon's planetary scientists. To everyone else, it's simply a big, blue moon.

Revived from stasis more than a thousand years after the starship left earth, Catharin makes a horrible discovery. The long stasis damaged the complex organic molecules in human bodies. Unless the human genome can be repaired, there will be no future on idyllic Planet Green.

Aeon has tremendous biomedical resources, but Catharin needs more. She needs a genetic miracle-worker--and she has one. She revives Joseph Devreze: a uniquely talented molecular biologist and maddeningly irresponsible genius. A crown prince of the science of his century, Devreze made a terrible mistake, followed a seductive line of research too far, and made one powerful enemy too many. In a trap of his own unwitting making, he saw only one way out: escape to the other side of the stars. Now, Catharin must rely on this untrustworthy maverick to help her save humanity on Green. Their mutual attraction ratchets up as their conflict with each other escalates. Together Catharin and Joe must decide how they can face, and embrace, a future utterly at odds with the Foundation's plans and their own expectations. And all the while the mystery of the Hurricane Moon looms over them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Excellent transaction
Book came quickly and in even better condition (it was used) than promised by seller.Highly recommended.

not very engaging
I wasn't very enthralled by this book. I understand that this is the author's first published full-length book, but the writing style was not developed enough for me to really get into the book. I liked the underlying theme and despair about how genetic damage due to long-term cryogenic stasis may have destroyed all hope for founding a colony, but the rest of the book was mediocre. The plot wasn't anything spectacular, and the characters weren't really engaging.

Wonderful!
Latner has written an amazing book. Reading it, I felt the cold of stasis and the terror of being in a totally new world, the old one gone forever. She uses words like a musician. Sentences sing with emotion and truth. I loved the adventure and the romance. Neither was stereotypical in any way! Great read.

Space opera or social novel?
Hurricane moon starts very promising as a pure space opera novel. The first 100 pages are about the voyage to the new world, and the choices to be made to overcome unexpected problems. After a journey that took much longer than expected colonization starts... And the nature of the novel changes dramatically.
Events seem to occur randomly. That would not be a problem, but unfortunately the settlers hardly seem to anticipate. They are too busy with all kinds of social affairs. Finding out the nature of the Hurricane moon, encountering a probably intelligent species, even the search for a cure for damaged genes, itsall told as if it's a teatime chat, interrupting what life is really about: finding out a religion, do I love him or not, whose child is it...
The last 300 pages resemble a Harlequin novel. With in the end a happy marriage. From hardcore SF point of view, without all socializing it could have been a great 200 page sense of wonder story. Now it's a missed opportunity.

Trying to like this book!
Especially after reading the positive reviews of this book, I keep wondering what I'm missing.I enjoy science fiction - both the science parts and the fiction parts of the genre - and I've liked the majority of science fiction books I've read written by females, AND I am fascinated with space and its travel.So I should like this book, but while I don't truly dislike it, I do find it very easy to put down. When I truly like a book I struggle to not read it straight through, when I'm not quite as enthralled in a book I can pick it up, read a chapter or two, and put it down for a week or two or four. This book is that kind of book - easy to put down. I wish I could like it...I just cannot quite get there. ... Read more

Product Description
Rubin Carter is the Hurricane. A pistol shot in a bar room ruined his chances of becoming the middleweight champion of the world. But he did not fire the gun. Nineteen long years in prison, a massively high profile campaign to release him that failed, and the persistence of an unlikely supporter finally saw him free.This is the story of a raging bull who learned to accommodate that rage. The Hurricane is an authentic C20th hero, every inch a fighter.Rubin Carter was a boxer on the threshold of the Middleweight Championship, with all the celebrity and wealth that would have conferred, when he was picked off the streets of Paterson, New Jersey by the police and accused of first degree murder in a bar room shooting. It was 1966, when America was gripped by racial rioting and burgeoning Black Power movements. Rubin faced an all-white jury. He was convicted. Liberal America adopted the campaign to release him in the 1970s -- Candice Bergen, Mohammad Ali and Bob Dylan all protested for his release -- but he remained in jail until 1985.Then, one man doggedly self-educated in the law finally achieved what years of high-profile lobbying had not: he freed Rubin Carter and righted one of the most significant cases of American injustice this century. Hurricane is a biography of modern America's great flaw: race relations. It is the story of a troublesome but gifted man, a paratrooper, a boxer, from the poorer side of the tracks, who was crudely and cruelly convicted of a crime he did not commit. Failed by the justice process, Rubin Carter proved himself a fighter all over again outside of the boxing ring, and a genuine hero in the process. ... Read more