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  • 18 Miles

  • The Epic Drama of Our Atmosphere and Its Weather
  • Written by: Christopher Dewdney
  • Narrated by: Angelo Di Loreto
  • Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (47 ratings)

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18 Miles cover art

18 Miles

Written by: Christopher Dewdney
Narrated by: Angelo Di Loreto
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Publisher's Summary

We live at the bottom of an ocean of air - 5,200 million million tons, to be exact. It sounds like a lot, but Earth’s atmosphere is smeared onto its surface in an alarmingly thin layer - 99 percent contained within 18 miles. Yet, within this fragile margin lies a magnificent realm - at once gorgeous, terrifying, capricious, and elusive. With his keen eye for identifying and uniting seemingly unrelated events, Chris Dewdney reveals to us the invisible rivers in the sky that affect how our weather works and the structure of clouds and storms and seasons, the rollercoaster of climate. Dewdney details the history of weather forecasting and introduces us to the eccentric and determined pioneers of science and observation whose efforts gave us the understanding of weather we have today.   

18 Miles is a kaleidoscopic and fact-filled journey that uncovers our obsession with the atmosphere and weather - as both evocative metaphor and physical reality. From the roaring winds of Katrina to Palladio’s architectural triumph, La Rotonda, Dewdney entertains as he gives listeners a long overdue look at the very air we breathe.

©2018 Christopher Dewdney (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about 18 Miles

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  • Overall
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Loved it

A very entertaining read. The author's personal connection to the weather plus his excellent skills at making an otherwise potentially dull topic come alive, made me look forward to every new chapter.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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I've listened to it twice so far.

Great book loved every minute of it I'll probably listen to it a few more times.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Totally Enjoyable

Truly enlightening, full of histories tidbits with surprisingly educational insights. Loved it and recommend it.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Love these types of books...

...but the narration! Let me start by saying the narrator can and does a WAY better job than I could ever do. But if you are of age to remember the "Twilight Zone" this book won't be for you. The narrator as a whispy voice that punches each sentence...just like the host on the twilight zone and it gets more exaggerated as the chapter go on.

The content of the book is great and is well written, so I will plow on.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Very enjoyable and entertaining

I quite enjoyed this book, great narrator. Broad strokes looking at the atmosphere in many contexts, including historical, scientific and literary. My only quibble is that decimate does not mean what the author thinks it means: to decimate is to reduce by 10%. Devastation means to destroy utterly. Not the same meaning at all, and yanked me out of the narrative not once but twice! For a Canadian you would think they would recognize the metric prefix...still a good listen and I recommend it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A lyrical history of weather

Wanted to listen to this book as research for a novel I am writing. Never expected how beautifully this story is delivered
Beautifully written!

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Well researched for weather buffs

The author's research provided some interesting perspectives on weather and the atmosphere. I found some of the historical and mythic oriented chapters to provide context I wasn't previously aware of. On the other hand, at times some of the chapters were far too technical for a weather novice and used too much jargon for my liking. The narrator was clear and easy to understand and listen to.

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  • Tom
  • 2019-06-23

A brief history of weather!

As the child of a weather forecaster, I was keenly interested in what the author had to say. The book proved an excellent read and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the forces of nature that affect us every day.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Great!

Jam packed with a ton of science but delivered in a very entertaining and at sometimes very poetic way.

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