The Breath of the Gods

‘A breezy history of the wind… very entertaining’ Sunday Times

‘As Simon Winchester writes in his delightful new book, The Breath of the Gods, these invisible currents of air shape our lives in myriad ways … a thoroughly enjoyable book, brimming over with historical nuggets and contemplations about the future’ New York Times

‘Simon Winchester has found an excellent subject…Winchester is a genial and interesting guide to many different wind-related topics…chatty and informative’ Spectator

‘Fascinating… an erudite and informative read. A wonderful book’ The Tablet

‘Mr Winchester covers everything windy one can conceive of, from aerophone musical instruments to the Mistral as exoneration for murder in France’Country Life

‘Epic … Winchester brings depth to the history of the wind … A splendidly written account of an unseeable force’ Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

‘Beguiling … [Winchester] conveys all this lore in prose that’s colourful and evocative … Readers will savor this’ Publishers Weekly

‘Big nonfiction books that explore the world through the lens of a single object or concept have been popular for decades … but few are as stirring as The Breath of the Gods … Winchester’s exquisitely clear prose leads us into a new understanding of a changing climate and the dangers ahead’ Boston Globe

‘A prolific and bestselling popular historian, Winchester turns his attention to that most powerful of forces: the wind. With his signature entertaining erudition, he explores a subject that has powered the human world since our inception’ New York Times

‘A former reporter, Winchester can find a good story anywhere, and his range is enormous … This time he takes to the air with a study of the phenomenon that shapes Earth’s climate and influences human history’ NPR.org

Simon Winchester is the bestselling author of Atlantic, The Man Who Loved China, A Crack in the Edge of the World, Krakatoa, The Map That Changed the World, The Surgeon of Crowthorne (also known as The Professor and the Madman), The Fracture Zone, Outposts, and Korea, among many other titles. In 2006, he was awarded an OBE. He lives in western Massachusetts and New York City.