"David Randall's book tells it like it is. He provides a compelling account of the large-scale circulation--what makes the air go around the planet, what makes it go up and down, and why it rains in some places and is dry in others. He tells us about both the observations and mechanisms in a concrete and straightforward way and in so doing he provides a valuable resource for theorists and practitioners alike."--Geoffrey K. Vallis, University of Exeter "Randall has provided a tremendous guidebook and resource for the advanced student of the structure and variability of the atmospheric circulation and its relation to the energy and water cycles. The foundational concepts, mathematical framework, and key discoveries up to the present time are presented in an organized and rigorous fashion. This book is a tour de force from a master scholar and teacher."--Dennis L. Hartmann, University of Washington "No other textbook on the global circulation of the atmosphere covers the breadth of the subject as well as this one does. And no other book makes the essential connection between atmospheric circulation dynamics and climate phenomena. There is no question to me that students will be very grateful to have it--there is nothing else like it, and we need it. David Randall is one of the most respected leaders in the field, and he is one of the few people capable of writing a book with a reach as broad as this." --Tapio Schneider, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich and California Institute of Technology