Dava Sobel - Longitude (2nd Hand Hardback)
Synopsis
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.
The scientific establishment of Europe - from Galileo to Sir Issac Newton - had mapped the heavens in both hemispheres in its certain pursuit of a celestial answer. In stark contrast, one man, John Harrison, 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 a dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest and 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 clock-making, and opens a new window on our world.
Details
- Format : Small 2nd Hand Hardback with Dust Jacket
- Condition : Very Good
- Category : Non-Fiction - Science & Technology
- Published : 1996 (4th Estate)
- ISBN : 9781857025026
- SKU : B000732
- PPC : SP400gm
- RRP : £12.00
- Quantity Available : 1 only.
External Reviews
"This a fascinating and fluent read, which educates, informs and entertains in equal measure. One for the ages." - Amazon Review.
The Author
Dava Sobel is an American writer of popular expositions of scientific topics. Her books include Longitude, about English clockmaker John Harrison, and Galileo's Daughter, about Galileo's daughter Maria Celeste, and The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars.
Internal Reviews
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