The Complete Weather Guide: A Collection of Practical Observations For Prognosticating the Weather, Drawn From Plants, Animals, Inanimate Bodies, and Also by Means of Philosophical Instruments; Including the Shepherd of Banbury's Rules, Explained on Philosophical Principles. With an Appendix of Miscellaneous Observations on Meteorology, a curious Botanical Clock, &c. &c. &c.

London: John Harding, 1812. Hardcover. Fair. viii, 160 p. 19 cm. Fold-out illustration at rear. Publisher's wraps in mylar. (Mylar removed for photo.) Boards soiled and edges and corners worn. Tears in free endpapers. Ink signature on title page. Rear illustration of Botanical Clock is torn in two pieces. Occasional foxing.

Early 19th-century farmers often sowed their crops on an arbitrarily chosen day every year, not being able to predict the weather. Impatient with this practice, naturalist Joseph Taylor (c.1761–1844) presented this alternative scientific method. He argues that, by studying the atmosphere, the behaviour of animals, and the condition of local flora, a farmer can not only determine the optimal time for sowing, but also forecast the weather. In part three Taylor outlines the Shepherd of Banbury's rules for judging changes in the weather, alongside remarks on the quality of this wisdom. He also draws on a wealth of wider countryside knowledge, observing, for example, that the flowering of primroses and lettuce occurs at such precise times as to be useful for botanical clocks. The proximity of bees to their hives and the agitation of dogs also suggest oncoming weather conditions. Is former owner John Frost related to that other famous weatherman, Jack?