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Longitude - Dava Sobel

Longitude

By Dava Sobel

  • Release Date: 2010-07-05
  • Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 82 Ratings

Description

The dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest and of one man's forty-year obsession to find a solution to the thorniest scientific dilemma of the day--"the longitude problem."

Anyone alive in the eighteenth century would have known that "the longitude problem" was the thorniest scientific dilemma of the day-and had been for centuries. Lacking the ability to measure their longitude, sailors throughout the great ages of exploration had been literally lost at sea as soon as they lost sight of land. Thousands of lives and the increasing fortunes of nations hung on a resolution. One man, John Harrison, in complete opposition to the scientific community, dared to imagine a mechanical solution-a clock that would keep precise time at sea, something no clock had ever been able to do on land.

Longitude is the dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest and of Harrison's forty-year obsession with building his perfect timekeeper, known today as the chronometer. Full of heroism and chicanery, it is also a fascinating brief history of astronomy, navigation, and clockmaking, and opens a new window on our world.

Reviews

  • Great read!

    5
    By chrislundkvist
    Great short read about the problem of determining Longitude and about the invention and use of chronometers to solve the problem.
  • Longitude

    5
    By olddue1
    This book is exceptionally well written. It presents the facts and events entertainingly while explaining an overlooked part of modern history.
  • Where are the pictures?

    3
    By 6472749
    This was a quick, enjoyable read but I’m disappointed that there are no pictures of the people involved or Harrison’s now-famous works.
  • Pleasant surprise!

    5
    By hmshector
    I started reading to learn about longitude and finished with a greater appreciation for watchmaking, craftsmanship, dedication. As well as the petty feuds between grumpy men.

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