Defining the wind : the Beaufort scale, and how a nineteenth-century admiral turned science into poetry

After finding the Beaufort Scale in his dictionary, Huler's is first struck with the poetry intrinsic in the descriptions associated with each level of wind force. This initial charm with the language leads him into a delightful, meandering history of 19th century cartography and natural 'philosophy'.

Scott Huler takes a common wind scale, that we all relearn each year during hurricane season, and weaves an intriguing history about the development of modern meteorology from the necessities of 19th century sailing.Scott tells the story of Francis Beaufort, a fastidious observer and note-taker, who over the course of his 84 year life, goes to sea, teaches himself navigation and cartography, develops a distinctive style or cartography that is still used today, and creates the Beaufort Wind Scale that is a common feature in the nightly weather reports during hurricane season. Along the way, Beaufort gets shipwrecked, shot in battle, becomes Hydrographer to the Admiralty, and an Admiral.

Scott uses Francis Beaufort, who today might be show more diagnosed as having a mild case of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), as a vehicle to explore the evolution of naval cartography and meteorology. It is a fascinating story with surprising links to Charles Darwin.

If the book has any weakness, it is the over emphasis on the language of the Beaufort Wind Scale. Scott, a technical writer, knows the importance and beauty of clarity, information delivered in a sparse yet unambiguous style, and he provides insight into why the Beaufort Scale both a scientific and literary gem. Unfortunately, I think that he spends too much time on the topic and it occasionally slows down the otherwise well paced narrative.

I recommend this book to anyone who sails, is interested in weather, or is fascinated with the evolution of modern science.

Defining the Wind has a permanent place in my library. show less

Very thoroughly researched; it seems towards the end a little "I bothered to find this out, I'm putting it in the book whether it's interesting or not, goddamnit," but on the whole an inspiring manifesto for patient, 18th-century style observation of the world. "Nature, properly questioned, never lies."

In 1806, while waiting in port to leave for South America, Sir Francis Beaufort jotted down a brief scale into his journals so that he could quickly record future weather reports. It started at 0 for no breeze and went to 12 for hurricane conditions. It was a simple scale, used by other sailors and natural philosophers for the last 250 years, but he made it his own, and encouraged others to do the same. Scott Huler tells the story of the wind scale from Tycho Brahe through the men who still work on authentic sailing vessels today. The journey is as poetic as the scale itself and warrants a read by anyone from amateur meteorologists to nostalgic seamen. A very good book.

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A fun read! Huler gets distracted by his journey, but that's always part of the fun.

Again, the best kind of history, a book about a very specific topic and how it changed the world.