Offering new historical understandings of human responses to climate and climate change, this cutting-edge volume explores the dynamic relationship between settlement, climate, and colonization, covering everything from the physical impact of climate on agriculture and land development to the development of "folk" and government meteorologies.

Offering new historical understandings of human responses to climate and climate change, this cutting-edge volume explores the dynamic relationship between settlement, climate, and colonization, covering everything from the physical impact of climate on agriculture and land development to the development of "folk" and government meteorologies.

James Beattie was born on October 25th, 1735 at Laurencekirk in the Mearns in Scotland. In 1749 James began his studies at Marischal College, Aberdeen. In 1753, he was awarded an MA degree. He then spent several years as a schoolteacher and briefly contemplated becoming a minister. At only 25, he was, in 1760, appointed Professor of moral philosophy at Aberdeen University. Later that year he published his first volume of poems 'Original Poems And Translations'. In 1765 he published The Judgment of Paris, which attracted much attention. However two further works were to gain him widespread...