From Japanese 'snow women' to Icelandic 'dog's paws,' Campbell provides a wonderfully wintry compendium of worldwide monikers for the white stuff along with the fascinating stories behind them in this exquisite volume.
Waterstones Non-Fiction Book of the Month for November 2021
Snow. Every language has its own words for the feather-like flakes that come from the sky. In Japanese we find Yuki-onna - a 'snow woman' who drifts through the frosted land. In Icelandic falls Hundslappadrifa - 'big as a dog's paw'. And in Maori we meet Huka-rere - 'one of the children of rain and wind'.
From mountain tops and frozen seas to city parks and desert hills, writer and Arctic traveller Nancy Campbell digs deep into the meanings of fifty words for snow. Under her gaze, each of these linguistic snow crystals offers a whole world of myth and story.
Publisher: Elliott & Thompson Limited
ISBN: 9781783966035
Number of pages: 224
Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
'A sparkling prism to reveal what snow means to different cultures... [an] exploration of the language that describes myriad snowscapes, from mountain peaks and ancient glaciers to boreal cities and Baltic landscapes.' National Geographic 'A miraculous snow bank of niveous names and knowledge as delicate and multifaceted as the flakes it celebrates. A glittering cloud of Inupiaq, Icelandic, compound Maori, Finnish, Scots, Thai, Hebrew, American Sign Language.' Dan Richards, author of Outpost: A Wild Journey to the Ends of the Earth 'This is a book of now... It shows us how we are connected and united across languages and across borders, through our environment, climate, stories and Nature. Fifty Words for Snow is both gorgeous and important to hunker down with, whatever the weather outside.' Resurgence & Ecologist Magazine 'A delightful compendium that brings together language, culture and adventure through frozen landscapes as it shares the meanings behind 50 words for snow, gathered from around the globe.' The Herald, Christmas Books 2020 ‘Absolutely exquisite. This little book is a work of art. It is impossible to imagine the reader who will not love it.’ Horatio Clare, author of The Light in the Dark ‘This stunning book made me want to pack all my woolies, candles, ample firewood and enough books for a year – and head to as northerly a location as I could find.’ Kerri ní Dochartaigh, Caught By the River ‘Sparkles and dazzles with new meanings and old magic. You’ll never see snow in the same way again.’ Matt Gaw, author of Under the Stars
Fifty Words for Snow by Nancy Campbell
I loved this little book! It was so beautifully presented. A tiny snowflake sized chapter for each of the chosen fifty words for snow. Words from different languages and...
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Fifty Words for Snow is a unique and beautiful book - it’s one of those books to read snuggled up under a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate next to you. I love learning new things and this book really helped my... More
‘’Yes, the newspapers were right: snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling softly upon the Bog of Allen and, further afterwards, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves. It was falling too upon... More
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