Friends, this book may be as close as we get to a White Christmas in Williamsburg.
Ken Libbrecht, a physicist at Caltech, provides a delightful look at snowflakes in extreme crystalline closeup. Spreads like this one, resembling a glass patchwork quilt, showcase the high-resolution microphotography of Patricia Rasmussen. Meanwhile Libbrecht explains the science behind the symmetry, using what scientists have learned about the relationship between temperature, humidity, and crystal structure to create designer snowflakes in his lab.
Despite my intent to observe “no-reading week,” I slipped up and read about the history of snowflake observation. I knew about Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley, the Vermont farmer who devoted his life to snow crystal photography, eager to “show these lovely things to people who never would have seen them without my help.” Now I know that he had a predecessor, Mrs. Frances Chickering, a minister’s wife who had no camera but instead reproduced her observations with scissors and white paper. She published an album of her snowflake scherenschnitte in 1865.
Curl up in front of a warm fire and enjoy a little history, a little science, some quotes from Thoreau, and these glittery, Swaroski-like photographs. You can explore more at Libbrecht’s web page.
Check the WRL catalog for The Snowflake.
Blogging for a Good Book 
Holiday greetings! I received “The Snowflake” for Christmas from my son. It is a truly beautiful book, and is helping this winter challenged person develop a better attitude toward toward snow.
What a nice gift! Yes, in some ways snow is best appreciated on the microscopic level. Heaps of it on your car = totally different story.
I have a photo or two of snowflakes coming down that a woman gave me, and the interesting thing about them is that they are all in the shape of a cross.
Is Mr. Libbrecht interested in seeing this picture?
Jim, you might want to contact Mr. Libbrecht through his web site, http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/
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