Anyone's who's spent any time in Scotland knows that rain -- in all its many varieties -- is a near constant part of the weather there. It silly to complain about it or try to resist it. Wiser to reflect on ways that it makes the beauty of the Scottish landscape possible. As Hugh Andrew writes from Mull in his introduction to this cute little book about precipitation, "without it the hills would not be so green, the trees would not grow, the rivers would not flow and the light would not have the iridescent quality we so associate with the Highlands." This book by Ron Butlin is a celebration of the rich lexicon that's sprung up in Scotland to name the many types and qualities of rain there. Fans of unusual vocabulary will enjoy learning words like "blashy" ("rain at its wettest and most blown-about," from Scots) or "haar" (a sea mist, especially on the East coast). 96 page paperback with line drawings throughout.
