The Story of the British and Their Weather: From Frost Fairs to Indian Summers

The British weather: famously changeable, subject of endless complaint and endless small talk. We all feel we know it well as a largely benign backdrop to our lives, but the truth is our weather has changed the course of our history and society.

This is the extraordinary tale of Britain’s weather and our relationship with it. Recounting the most astounding weather-related stories from the distant to the recent past, it reveals a surprising and frightening picture. Devastating tidal surges, unprecedented droughts, tornadoes, blizzards, lightning and smog have all repeatedly caused death on a wide scale, even in the heart of London. And while in recent history Icelandic volcanoes have affected our weather enough to ground modern aircraft, in the past they have done this so catastrophically that they have influenced European politics, and at one point almost ended humanity in its infancy.

Meticulously researched and compellingly written, The Story of the British and Their Weather is the absorbing tale of the real master of the British Isles and their inhabitants.