Fifty Words for Snow

Waterstones Non-Fiction Book of the Month November 2020

A compendium that takes the reader on a journey around the world, with fifty short chapters exploring how snow is perceived in a plethora of cultures, languages, and locations from the black snow (μαύρο χιόνι) of the Ancient Greek philosopher Anaxagoras to the Yuki-Onna (雪女) or seductive snow spirit of the Japanese Alps. Illustrations by William “Snowflake” Bentley.

Editions published in Chinese, Dutch, German, Slovak and Spanish.

Reviews

‘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 snowbank 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

‘Pithy, clear-eyed… like so many magical portals, offering fleeting but fascinating glimpses into unfamiliar worlds.’ —The Scotsman

‘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

‘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 woollies, 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