' The clouds are nature's poetry & the most egalitarian of her displays since everyone has an equally fantastic view of them Clouds are for dreamers & their contemplation benefits the soul Yet their beauty is so everyday as to be in danger of being overlooked ' Gavin Pretor Pinney is the chairman & founder member of the Cloud Appreciation Society He contends that we are blessed in this country with a uniquely rich & varied cloudscape which has hitherto been sadly undervalued His book teaches us to appreciate their different varieties
- the cumulus nimbostratus & Morning Glory to name only a few
- & all their beauties & significances both meteorological & cultural We learn how Hindus believed the cumulus clouds were the spiritual cousins of elephants how thermal air currents act on fair weather cumuli & how to save a fortune in psychiatric bills by using the clouds as Rorschach images that reflect our state of mind as well as nature's moods Looking up will never be the same again