The ommission of water as an important component of the atmosphere is misleading for students and unjustified by scientific ethics. Examination of eight college-level general chemistry texts revealed that none gave a mean value for the concentration of water. Inconsistencies between the texts indicate that there are errors of ommission and fact on the water content of the atmosphere and on the effects of variations in it. The importance of incorporating the cooling effects of clouds in all texts is emphasized.