Theophrastus of Eresos (c. 371 - c. 287 BC), a student and successor of Aristotle, stood out as a philosopher and natural scientist. Two works that have survived under his name analyse wind and weather and have not yet been available in German translation. The book on the winds deals with the winds, their causes and their effects on nature and humans, while the book on weather signs discusses the possibilities of weather forecasting based on signals that can be observed in nature and in animals. However, the effects of the climate on humans - and of humans on the climate - are also considered. In a bilingual presentation, with a detailed introduction and helpful explanations, this volume provides access to two works by the important student of Aristotle and thus enables all those interested in antiquity and its natural history to understand the ancient thinking about wind and weather at first hand.

Kai Brodersen, University of Erfurt, Germany.