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The Snowflake Man: A Biography of Wilson A. Bentley. Duncan C. Blanchard. 1998. 237 pp. $15.95. Paperbound. McDonald & Woodward Publishing. ISBN 0-939923-71-8.
"No two [snowflakes are] alike" is a phrase we probably have all heard at some time. Undoubtedly, many people have also seen some of Wilson Alwyn Bentley's pictures of snow crystals, but very few people can connect the phrase and pictures to the man. Even those who know that he spent his entire life primarily as a farmer in a small Vermont town would probably not know that Bentley was a first-rate scientist who made lasting contributions in several areas of atmospheric science. Until this recent biography by Blanchard, much of the information about Bentley was either long since forgotten or simply hard to find. The author tried to get letters kept by Bentley, but they were all burned shortly after Bentley's death. Luckily, he began interviewing people who knew Bentley in the late 1960s. Because of Blanchard's interviews, his witty, readable writing style, and his long research experience in cloud physics, it is doubtful anyone could have written a better book about Bentley. This biography is as engrossing as it is informative.
The book begins with a thorough history of the Bentley family and a description of the area around Jericho, Vermont; the latter being a major influence on Wilson's work. We read about the early homeschooling and encouragement to study nature from his mother; conversely, some discouragement from his father, brother, and indifference from most of his neighbors. The book contains interesting accounts of his contemporaries and concise histories of both snow crystal observations and studies of rain. Perhaps most importantly, the book gives the motivation behind his nearly 50 years of diligent research, consequently...