At some time or other, we all like to reawaken our inner child by gazing dreamily up at the clouds, feeding our imagination as we stare at their varied shapes, and seeking inspiration from their beauty. "Clouds "celebrates these natural splendors with some of the most spectacular images ever taken; at the same time, it serves as a practical aid that helps us identify every type, from the cottony, fluffy ones to others that glower and threaten as a storm rides in. With a chapter devoted to each category, from cirrus to cumulonimbus, this splendid volume reveals how, exquisite or portentous, clouds are vital to the planet's climatic regulation. They're the way the atmosphere expresses its mood, and its many different aspects appear in dramatic images that set you right in the sky where you can see everything from cloud cells to ice crystals to streaks of lightning close-up. At the back of the book, a detailed visual glossary explains the development of weather systems and clouds in particular.