And Now the Shipping Forecast : A Tide Of History Around Our Shores

This affectionate look at the revered British radio broadcast surveys the history and lore of the four-times daily announcements of weather reports and forecasts for the seas around the coasts of the British Isles. Written from the perspective of an announcer who read the on-air forecast for nearly 40 years, thisbook begins with the genesis of the forecast itself. This narrative spans from 19th-century inventions of the Beaufort wind scale andFitzroy's barometer and the founding of the British Meteorological Office to maritime codes, conventions, and traditions and life on the ocean wave. With a look at how technological progress has intervened in the collation, production, and transmission ofthe Shipping Forecast, this book showshow the broadcasts earned such a deep-rooted place in theaudiences' psyche.