Longitude
THE TRUE STORY OF A LONE GENIUS
WHO SOLVED THE GREATEST SCIENTIFIC PROBLEM OF HIS TIME
LONGITUDE
By DAVA SOBEL |
 |
During the great ages of exploration, "the longitude
problem" was the gravest of scientific challenges. Lacking the ability to determine
their longitude, sailors were literally lost at sea as soon as they lost sight of land.
Ships ran aground on rocky shores; those traveling well-known routes were easy prey to
pirates.
In 1714, England’s Parliament offered a huge reward to anyone whose method of
measuring longitude could be proven successful. The scientific establishment -- from
Galileo to Sir Isaac Newton -- had mapped the heavens in its certainty of a celestial
answer. In stark contrast, one man, John Harrison, dared to imagine a mechanical solution
-- a clock that could keep precise time at sea, something no clock had been able to do on
land. And the race was on...
"A simple tale, brilliantly told." The Washington Post Book World
"As much a tale of intrigue as it is of science...A book full of gems for anyone
interested in history, geography, astronomy, navigation, clockmaking, and -- not the least
-- plain old human ambition and greed. " The Philadelphia Inquirer
"The marine chronometer is a glorious and fascinating object, but it is not a
simple one, and its explanation calls for a writer as skilled with words as the
watchmakers were with their tools: happily just such a writer has been found in Dava
Sobel." Patrick O’Brian, author of the Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin
series.
"Only someone with Dava Sobel’s unusual background in both astronomy and
psychology could have written it. Longitude is wonderful story, wonderfully
told." Diane Ackerman, author of A Natural History of the Senses.
"An exquisitely done narrative of the chronometer. It is a wonderful and
engrossing achievement. William F. Buckley, Jr.
"Anyone with an interest in history or things maritime should consider Longitude.
This fascinating volume brings alive the eighteenth century." USA Today
Trade paperback edition from Penguin Books
$13.00 T13827.
Hardbound, from Walker and Company
$19.00 T12706.
The Illustrated Longitude, large-format hardbound, with 178 images chosen and
captioned by William J. H. Andrewes, $32.95 T11663.
Now also in audio: Audio Renaissance Tapes Abridged, two cassettes, running time
approximately three hours, $16.95 T15768
