The threads on hurricanes have whetted my appetite for more. Any recommendations on good books about hurricanes? I'm looking for books for an educated lay audience - heavy on history, good stories, and science that is aimed at lay people with a general understanding of the weather. I already have Jay Barnes' fantastic Florida's Hurricane History. I wish there were a book called Everywhere Else's Hurricane History. I'd also love to find a good book that gave in-depth coverage to any of the recent hurricane disasters. (I have one on the LI/NE 1938 storm.)

Secondly, and more obscurely, I'm trying to remember the title or author of a book about hurricanes written in the 1960's that I'd like to find for nostalgia value. It's not Dunn's Atlantic Hurricanes (the cover of which I can still see in my mind; I must have checked it out of the library 500 times when I was a kid). It was a shorter, less scientific book, but I read it over and over. All I can tell you about it is the following:

--It was published in 1966 or '67, because the last chapter described the author's experience in Hurricane Alma, which hit the GC of FL in June 1966. It was a minimal hurricane; the author included it because the landfall happened near his home as he was finishing the book.

--The author lived in Dunedin, FL. (Amazing the things that stick in one's mind!)

--The author was ex-military - of course so were nearly all guys back then - and, in the picture on the back cover, he had dark hair and a mustache. (See above re mind-sticking.)

Any guidance on either question would be most appreciated.

If you are interested in purely history, "Issac's Storm" about the Galveston Hurricane will leave you awestruck. It is fairly light on the science, but that choice works because, in 1900, we (as a species) still had a LOT to learn about hurricanes and the book does a good job of explaining that and how our shortcomings in that regard compounded the devastation at Galveston.

A little edgy, your post made me chuckle because, like you, I must have checked Atlantic Hurricanes out of the town library a gazillion times as a teenager. It remains a great book, despite the fact that a lot of the information is now outdated-- especially with the NHC's reanalysis project.

Here are some good ones:

A Wind to Shake the World: The Story of the 1938 Hurricane by Everett S. Allen was a very exciting read for me as a teenager growing up on Long Island. It's very detailed and really conveys the drama of a severe hurricane taking a populated, industrialized region completely by surprise.

You have Florida's Hurricane History (which I'd like to get), but were you aware of that author's other book, North Carolina's Hurricane History? It was mentioned in my "Celebrity Hurricane Death Match" thread and comes highly recommended. I read a passage from it (quoted in the thread), and it seems well-written-- not to mention that it has lots of cool pics.

I've always wanted to check out the book NJ_Ken mentions-- perhaps I'll get that, too.

a little edgy, on Apr 1 2007, 02:09 PM, said:

LOL. I know *exactly* what book you are talking about. I rented it from the school library and read it over and over and over again. He detailed the '66 season in that chapter and included a fuzzy satellite shot of Judith and Inez. But I don't remember the name of the book either.

Did you ever read an even shorter book with a yellow/orange cover that just described Camille and then the three hurricanes of 1954? It had a vivid description of a guy getting knocked unconscious on a plank of wood and then vomiting. Also, that's been the best written account I've found so far of Hazel's destruction in Toronto, including a description of how one meteorologist's warnings went unheeded.

Try Hurricane Watch by Bob Sheets and Jack Williams.

Steve

HurricaneJosh, on Apr 1 2007, 08:49 PM, said:

In addition to the Jay Barnes' books and Issac's Storm, I too have A Wind To Shake The World. I purchased it in the late 1970s. I remember being so enthralled reading the personal accounts of the people that experienced the 1938 Hurricane that I did not want to put the book down until I finished it.

Some other great hurricane books are Killer'cane: The Deadly Hurricane of 1928 by Robert Mykle and Storm of the Century: The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 by William Drye.

There is a book called "Hurricane Almanac 2006" written by an Bryan Norcross who is a well respected Meteorologist. Not sure if this is more than your looking for, but it's very interesting and informative, and is fairly inexpensive as compared to some others.

Hurricane Almanac

The HRD FAQ has a whole page devoted to this subject.

http://www.aoml.noaa...d/tcfaq/J3.html

Thanks to all for your recommendations. I do have Isaac's Storm and Drye's book on the '35 Labor Day storm. I just ordered NC's Hurricane History and a book on Camille (can't remember the title right now). I'll look for the others and check out the FAQ. I also poked around Amazon looking for a good book on Katrina, but most of them are aimed at very young audience, are primarily picture books, or seem to have been written with a political agenda. Perhaps it's too soon for a thorough, unbiased report of the events, with good meteo detail, along with a thorough account of the events and the effects/damage/aftermath.

Anyway, glad to hear that someone else remembers the book by the Dunedin guy! Thanks again.

Kerry Emanuel's "Divine Wind" goes back and forth from the science of hurricanes to historical stories about important storms. I highly recommend it.

Divine Wind in Japanese is Kamikaze. The name was originally used for the typhoons that destroyed the Mongol Fleets invading Japan. Of course the word became more notorious in WWII.

Steve

Rick Schwartz has just published a book on Hurricanes and the Middle Atlantic States, out in late August/early September 2007. It really is quite a book, covering hurricanes from the 17th century through 2004 affecting the mid Atlantic States. You can get more information from his website, where other information on hurricanes will be posting in the coming months. Check out http://www.midatlantichurricanes.com for more information and how to order the book (or www.bluediamondbooks.com if you have any problems with that one) . This is a must have for any hurricane enthusiast, particularly those in the mid-Atlantic states. I have attached the flier for this book to this message.

Kevin Shaw
kshaw1@rcn.com
or walrus here on the forum

Don't forget "Early American Hurricanes" by David Ludlum.

I have a bunch on my shop page...if nothing else you will at least get an idea for a few books out there

http://www.weatherph...weathershop.htm

walrus, on Sep 23 2007, 08:10 PM, said:

I got Rick's e-mail about this. Thanks for putting out the info Kevin.

If you want an awesome resource
http://www.abebooks.com/

You can find just about anything you want there. Historic/collector/rare/new/used.