Product Description

It's the great British obsession and not surprisingly: no other country in the world has such unpredictable weather, with such power to rule people's lives as we have. The Wrong Kind of Snow is the complete daily companion to this British phenomenon. From the Spanish Armada to the invention of the windscreen wiper, each of the 365 entries beautifully illustrates a day in the weird and wonderful history of the British and their weather.

31 January: The Big Freeze of 1963 brings the FA Cup competition to a halt: every football pitch in Britain is frozen: the third round takes 66 days to complete: the Pools Panel is formed as a result. 9 February: British Rail blames the Wrong Kind of Snow - it was a journalist's phrase, but on this day in 1991 it stuck to the beleaguered BR like flesh to ice. 15 July: The exceptionally hot and steamy summer of 1858 caused the Great Stink of London, resulting in the building of London s sewage system, still in use today. On the same day in 1930, rainfall in Yorkshire is so heavy that the Whitby lifeboat makes a rescue two miles inland. 10 September: A violent storm rather than British sea power defeats the Spanish Armada in1588. Four centuries later, bad light and rain stop play at the Oval . . . And much more.

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7365 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 400 pages

Review
* * * * * [FIVE STARS] 'Smart and well-researched' --Time Out

'Well-written and funny . . . a book you can give to almost anyone in the entire country' --Alexandra Heminsley, Elle Magazine books editor

'Wonderful diary format . . . full of fascination and amusement' --Alan Titchmarsh, The Alan Titchmarsh Show

Review

'A meteorological feast for every day of the year'

(Good Book Guide )

'It's this year's Eats, Shoots and Leaves, an entertaining gift book that will keep difficult uncles distracted for hours on Christmas Day'

(Guardian online )

'Worthwhile enough to shine for longer than gimmicky giftbooks often do'

(Independent )

'Smart and well-researched' (five stars)

(Time Out )

'Chock-packed full of tales . . . if you're interested in the weather - and we all are - then this is a fascinating book'

(Robert Elms, The Robert Elms Show, BBC London )

'Wonderful . . . full of fascination and amusement'

(Alan Titchmarsh, The Alan Titchmarsh Show )

'A perfect buy . . . both fascinating trivia and a timely survey'

(Sainsbury's Magazine )

'The idiosyncratic accumulation of strange weather-related factoids, quotes and anecdotes has bags of charm.' (The Sunday Times )

About the Author
Rob Penn and Antony Woodward are journalists and have spent many hours trying to predict the weather, Antony as a pilot and Rob on a round the world bicycle ride.

---

Customer Reviews

A force 10 gale of a book
Just about everything you need to to know about our pernicious, fickle and changeable weather is in Antony Woodward and Robert Penn's 'The Wrong Kind of Snow'.

There is a page for each day of the year and a storm of facts, figures and stories relating to the weather - how we measure it, the chaos it has caused, the inspiration (and depression) it has given writers, who are much quoted. There's lots of sporting detail, loads of historical references - from the acknowledgements, you can see that a huge number of researchers were involved with the project and it shows.

I bought it thinking that I would leave it in the loo and read a page a day, but once I started I found myself devouring months and quarters at a time.

Definitely one of those books that you can read through in a sitting or leave on the bookshelf for reference.

The Wrong Kind of Snow
Finally a book that satiates the British obsession with weather. Woodward and Penn have come up with the definitive guide. Crammed with facts, anecdotes and asides it is at once amusing, fascinating and informative. Ultimately a great read that can be poured over for hours or dipped into for minutes. I loved it.

A great read and a perfect present
This is a great read - witty and informative about a variety of subjects affected by the weird and wonderful British weather. It makes the most perfect present - there's something in here for everyone. If you're looking for a good Christmas present then I strongly recommend this book. I've given it to a number of people and it has been a huge success every time.