Atmosphere, clouds, and climate /

This book, part of the "Princeton Primers in Climate" series, is a very lucid and enjoyable introduction to weather and climate. Randall (atmospheric science, Colorado State Univ.) provides basic technical details, usually in the appendixes, but he devotes considerable effort to making the nine-chapter text accessible to a wide audience by including intuitive explanations for the concepts presented. This reviewer found this approach very successful. In his experience, a variety of academic departments offer introductory climate/weather courses, and a single class is often made up of students with varying academic backgrounds and technical knowledge. This book would make an excellent text for such a class. Suitable for academic students and interested professionals who wish to have a basic understanding of the atmosphere. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates, upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and professionals. T. N. Chase University of Colorado