Windmills of New England: Their Genius, Madness, History & Future

Rating:
Summary: Answers in the wind
Review: A wonderful read about the history and future of wind power. Besides being well written with attention to windmill construction and historic facts - this book gave me a deeper appreciation for humanity's effort to harness wind power. I especially enjoyed the many photographs and illustrations of historic and modern windmills.
The creative structures and engineering feats to accomplish the transmutation of wind energy into mechanical energy are interesting and, in some instances - mind boggling. There is even a section based on the little ornamental windmills we see decorating yards and miniature golf courses.
As we learn from this book, our human effort to use wind power to serve our needs for grinding grain, pumping water or producing electricity - creates an interesting history. In a way, this book tells the story of our relationship with wind from the earliest of times. It even tells how windmills, by the position of their arms, were used as secret signal towers during times of war.
I strongly suggest this book for anyone who has an interest in wind power, which is now being explored as one of the answers to helping humankind solve our energy crisis.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating History Brings Windmills to Life
Review: Dan Lombardo's "Windmills of New England: Their Genius, Madness, History & Future" is written in a very scholarly manner, yet it is obviously a labor of love and as a result he has created a fun and interesting read. This book has something for everyone. Not only is it full of history and wonderful historical photographs for the history buff, but there are literary elements here as well. Mr. Lombardo has collected a compendium of windmill sayings for the reader to discover the origins of "Daily Grind", "Rule of Thumb" and many more. I also enjoyed the easy-to-understand explanations of how windmills and wind turbines work, along with the glossary of windmill terms. He really makes the history come alive and presents wind power in a historical context.

This beautiful, oversized cloth book makes a wonderful read. I'm excited for warmer weather, so I can try the driving tours that are provided at the end of the book for Cape Cod, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.