shannons's Full Review: Dava Sobel - Longitude: The True Story of a Lone G...
Its hard to imagine now but until relatively recently man didn't have a clue where he was. Astronomers have been able to measure latitude for ages but the ability to measure longitude is of a more recent vintage. Man was literally lost at sea.
Dava Sobel's book about the quest (or more accurately race to be the first) to measure longitude will give you a whole new perspective on human history and achievement. She starts with stories about the impact of not knowing the longitude and then shares the history of its discover. This is a fascinating look at the competition between nations and scientists as well as one man's tenacity and obsession that leads to an accurate way to measure longitude.
I was fortunate enough to hear Dava Sobel speak about how this book came about. She showed slides of pictures that were not then available in the paperback edition. I strongly encourage reader's of this wonderful book to at least take a look at the hardback illustrated version.
This book is deceptively short and simple but it may change your whole perception of history and world events.
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Sobel presents the dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest and of John Harrison s 40-year obsession with building the perfect timekeeper, kno...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
On its 10th anniversary, a gift edition of this classic book, with a forward by one of history s greatest explorers, and eight pages of color illustra...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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