The Art of the Snowflake: A Photographic Album

The perfect geometry and exquisite beauty of nature is nowhere so clear to us as in the snowflake. But how have we been able to appreciate this infinitesimal wonder in all its crystalline glory? This book, as much a work of art as a testament to science, reveals how one of the snowflake’s most inspired photographers came to such intimate knowledge of his craft and its fleeting focus. Beautiful pictures illustrate Kenneth Libbrecht’s story of the microphotography of snow crystals, from the pioneering work of Wilson Bentley in the 1890s right up to Ken’s own innovations in our age of digital images. A breathtaking look at the works of art that melt in an instant, this is a book to page through and savor, season after season.

Kenneth Libbrecht is a professor of physics at Caltech, where he studies the molecular dynamics of crystal growth, especially how ice crystals grow from water vapor, which is essentially the physics of snowflakes. He has authored several books on this topic, including The Snowflake: Winter's Secret Beauty, The Snowflake: Winter's Frozen Artistry, The Art of the Snowflake, and Field Guide to Snowflakes. Dr. Libbrecht served as science consultant on the Disney film Frozen. He lives in Pasadena with his wife, Rachel Wing. They have two children.