Product Description

A study of rain in Britain. The British are getting used to a new kind of rain. There is more of it - the year 2000 was the wettest since accurate records began in the middle of the 18th century. But also it is fiercer: drizzle, your traditional kind of British wetness, has been replaced by autumnal monsoons. Large parts of Britain are flooding, under threat from the weather as never before. In this work, Brian Cathcart explores: rainfall statistics collector, George James Symons, an unsung hero with his thousands of volunteers; the invention of galoshes and other attractive rainwear; how the wet sock experiment proves that you can't catch your death of cold; and Samuel Johnson's real opinion of weather-inspired small-talk. He also asks what rain has done for the British landscape and British character.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #368621 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-19
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 120 pages

Richard Hamblyn (author Invention of clouds), Evening Standard
‘An engaging blend of history, science and current affairs, Rain has much to recommend it’

Metro
‘A droll and engaging book about the English themselves’

Observer (Book of the Week)
‘There has never been a better time to think about rain-hence Cathcart’s admirable little book’

Customer Reviews

Disappointing
I bought this book because I was in a drizzly, drifting period of my life and it sounded like a nice way to get through a wet patch. However, I have to say I found it disappointing. There seemed to be no point or theme in the writing, just odd ramblings with some interesting facts and observations, but a lot of misty bits. I haven’t read his other books, which focus more on current events such as the murders of Stephen Lawrence and Jill Dando. Maybe that is more his strength, but this book didn’t inspire me to seek them out and read them.