I recently finished reading An Ocean Of Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other Mysteries of the Atmosphere by Gabrielle Walker. This book was riveting from the start, traveling from labs to mountaintops, while delving through the components of the atmosphere and the scientists who discovered them.

Contrary to the title, the driving of the book is not wholly about the minutiae of the atmosphere, but  also delves into the lives and personalities of the eccentric scientists who made the discoveries. It has detailed narratives of Galileo Galilei, Robert Boyle, Evangelista Torricelli, Joseph Priestley, Antoine Lavoisier, Guglielmo Marconi, James Van Allen and many others. While I knew about a few of these individuals from chemistry, many others were rather obscure such as Svante Arrhenius, Joseph Black, William Ferrel, Oliver Heaviside, and Gilbert Plass.

Walker gives a chronological account of the contributions of these scientists to the field, building one discovery upon another and creating an effect of exploration for the reader. By combining such captivating anecdotes with their discoveries, Walker is able to inform and intrigue. When it finally comes to explaining the scientific principles involved, explanations are clear and understandable, fully revealing the importance and delicate nature of our atmosphere. An Ocean Of Air is exciting and educational exploration into the life sustaining atmosphere.