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The Cloudspotter's Guide
by Gavin Pretor-Pinney
Sceptre, HK$156
Cloudspotting conjures notions of an activity almost as nerdish as trainspotting, of people armed with pencils and dog-eared notebooks craning their eyes skywards, then annotating blob-like sketches.
But nothing could be further from the intent and content of Gavin Pretor-Pinney's captivating book, rejected by 28 publishers before becoming an unexpected best-seller.
Almost two years ago, the cloud-obsessed Pretor-Pinney gave a talk at a literary festival in Cornwall and launched the Cloud Appreciation Society (www.cloudappreciationsociety.org), which pledges to fight 'blue sky thinking' wherever it's found. Proving, if proof were needed, that however bizarre one's interest someone out there shares it, the society now has 4,000 members.
This book is the society's first publication and, as its runaway sales figures attest, is proving to be the kind of 'who'd buy that?' niche-market offering that charms all those who encounter it and enjoys burgeoning word-of-mouth popularity.
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