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Rating: 
Summary: An Underrated Text
Review: As the subject line suggests, this book is something you have to get used too. I found when reading this book for the first time in my Atmospheric Dynamics 1 course I was struck with this wave of fear that I might never be able to understand atmospheric dynamics. Holton seems to dive right into the derivations without much in the way of qualitative explaination. Moreover, his derivations assume that your mathematics background is strong enough to fill in the gaps that he leaves between lines (a favourite phrase of his being "it can be shown...", of course i tried that line on a test once and the prof didn't buy it!!). However, I must admit, to his credit, that he has recognized the need to force students to make that leap in their knowledge from basic vector and differential calculus to applied "real-life" calculus. By the time I finished my Atmospheric Dynamics 2 course at the end of my 3rd year, we had covered most of the book (including basic conservations, vorticity, synoptic-scale motions including QG-theory and baroclinic instability, as well as atmospheric waves and the PBL). In having studied this book once through already, I can now look back and think that it actually wasn't that bad. I realize now that the gaps in his derivations are there because he doesn't want to get bogged down in all the rigor. I think that as a student, you can learn a lot from this book, but it will take patience, a pencil and paper, and a LARGE cup of coffee. This book introduces the student to the mathematical equations that govern motions in the atmosphere. It is directed mainly at the upper-level undergraduate and introductory graduate level student. The key to benefiting from this book is reading slowly and trying to work the equations through yourself. For what it's worth, and as dynamics texts go, I do recommend this book; but if you've never seen an atmospheric dynamics text then you may soon get discouraged. I know a lot of the students in my class despised Holton, but if you are serious about learning the material you can extract it; but like I said, it takes work!Overall, not a bad book, but I think some of the descriptions could have been a little more detailed.
Rating: 
Summary: a tough textbook, definitely not one for the coffee table
Review: Okay, this book doesn't strike me as fantastic either. I like math...and when Holton uses the phrase "it can be shown that..", I cringe. Even meteorologists (like myself) can have difficulty following certain sections of Holton's text, simply because he glosses over (often major) details in derivations and explanations of topics. That said, the book has come in handy on a couple occasions as a reference tool. Had it not been required, I doubt I would ever have purchased this text. Even in the first four chapters, which I believe are extremely important to all atmospheric scientists, Holton dodges mathmatical rigor and instead gives derivations as end-of-chapter problems. For a first-year graduate student with a solid math background, this book has more worth. As an undergraduate, I never used the book other than to work the problems my professor assigned out of it. If you are looking for a book to introduce you to meteorology, this will suffice but you can find better!!
Rating:
Summary: a tough textbook, definitely not one for the coffee table
Review: Okay, this book doesn't strike me as fantastic either. I like math...and when Holton uses the phrase "it can be shown that..", I cringe. Even meteorologists (like myself) can have difficulty following certain sections of Holton's text, simply because he glosses over (often major) details in derivations and explanations of topics. That said, the book has come in handy on a couple occasions as a reference tool. Had it not been required, I doubt I would ever have purchased this text. Even in the first four chapters, which I believe are extremely important to all atmospheric scientists, Holton dodges mathmatical rigor and instead gives derivations as end-of-chapter problems. For a first-year graduate student with a solid math background, this book has more worth. As an undergraduate, I never used the book other than to work the problems my professor assigned out of it. If you are looking for a book to introduce you to meteorology, this will suffice but you can find better!!
Rating:
Summary: An Underrated Text
Review: This book, often simply referred to as "Holton", has been roundly cursed by undergraduates since it was first published. I know, because I was one of them. However, as the years went by, and as the number of classes requiring Holton as a text went by, I realized two things. First, that this book was not meant to hold your hand through all the derivations. It requires a competent instructor who can use Holton as a detailed companion to rigorous coursework. This book is NOT for the average person who wishes to study alone. The second thing is that this book was written to fill a gap. There were no similar atmospheric dynamics texts. As a consequence, it must cover a large amount of material in a rather small, college textbook-sized space. It does this well. Yes, the author's writing style is dry to the extreme, and yes, physical explanations are often lacking. However, if you have access to a competent professor, neither of these are problems. One final thought... as we call the book simply "Holton" remember that Frankenstein's monster is often called simply "Frankenstein", but we will leave comparisons to the reader - and to the author!
Rating: 
Summary: Paramount
Review: Useful introduction to dynamic meteorology. Covers many fundamental concepts and concisely. It is not a good fluid dynamics book. It is developed for the atmospheric scientist. It contains an exceptional chapter on waves. Also, there are some elementary concepts related to stratospheric dynamics and general circulation that are very well-written.
Rating: 
Summary: Confusing for Students
Review: Well, if you are a student new to the field I am sure you will find this book extremely helpful but if you are looking for elegant mathematical derivations and further explanations of baroclinic instabilities, for instance, it is not the book you want to buy. The emphasis is on physical principles rather than the math. Thus, I am not really found of his notation too.
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