In recent years there have been several texts that seek to explain the physics underlying atmospheric processes, weather forecasting and climate change. Many of these books have been disappointing, in part due to their failure to cover any of the myriad of topics in any depth. The present volume states that its aim is to describe how classical thermodynamics manifests itself in the atmosphere. By limiting itself to one particular aspect of physics in the atmosphere the author should have been able to produce a useful comprehensive and informative text for both students and researchers.

The text begins by reviewing the basic definitions and the mathematics used in the rest of the text. This is an unfortunate introduction to the text and could have been designated as appendices since it leads to a slow and unimaginative introduction to the text, frustrating the reader. The next three chapters review the laws of thermodynamics and basic gas laws at a level that might be found in most standard undergraduate texts. Despite the title of the book and the author's pre-stated aims in the these chapters, the author does not provide many obvious examples in the terrestrial atmosphere, leaving the best examples as questions.

The middle and latter portions of the text are the best part of the work with the author describing the role of thermodynamics involved in the hydrological cycle. However, inexplicably, there is no detailed discussion of the cloud formation process with the role of condensation in water droplet growth and snowflake formation. Nor is there any discussion of the thermodynamics manifest in thunderstorms and hurricanes. Thermodynamics can also describe many of the global wind patterns and weather systems, the Hadley cell being a prime example of convection.

The last chapter of the book is stated to `introduce the problem of weather forecasting and the relevance of thermodynamics' but is so brief as to be circumstantial and provides no real information for the reader. Finally, the reference list is embarrassing, short listing just seven works!

In conclusion, I found this to be a very disappointing text that I would find hard to recommend to students or researchers. Should a reader seek to understand the role of thermodynamics in the atmosphere, I would suggest that they consult instead one of the larger more comprehensive texts such as R McIlveen's Fundamentals of Weather and Climate (London: Chapman and Hall).