"Robert Marc Friedman has written a lucid and engaging narrative of the career of Vilhelm Bjerknes and his 'Bergen' school of meteorology, originators of the concept of the weather front. Friedman has skillfully woven together early twentieth-century meteorology with contemporary developments in agriculture, fishery, warfare, and communications. The result is a significant contribution to the history of science and will hold the interest of anyone concerned with the role of science in modern society."-American Historical Review "The history of modern meteorology has been shaped by a few brilliant individuals, whose enormous contributions set conditions for permanent progress. Robert Marc Friedman's book is a serious and substantial contribution to the documentation of this history."-American Meteorological Society "In this very thoughtful and extremely well-researched and well-written book, Robert Marc Friedman relates the story of Vilhelm Bjerknes's switch to geophysical studies and his subsequent development of scientific study of the weather into a persuasive new professional discipline."-Isis