The Snowflake (Libbrecht, Rasmussen)

A foray past the technical wing of Powell’s Books turned up a bunch of fun reading. Among them is this informative book on snowflakes.

Written by a physicist who developed a specialty in snowflake formation, and beautifully photographed. It’s a broad treatise on snow that’s accessible to everyone, from kids to graduate-level physicists. If you need a snow-focused holiday gift for someone who already has too many skis and bindings, this might be it.

Kenneth Libbrecht’s prose does a great job of detailing how snowflakes form, grow, and change. He supplements the text with photos from his lab, where almost any variant of snowflake can be grown at will.

The real star of the show is Patricia Rasmussen’s photographs. Wow!

Recommended, as a picturebook, easy read, and lightweight reference on snowflake formation, morphology, and beauty.