false 4806 36 Anyone alive in the eighteeth century would have known that "the logitude 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 percise 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 clockmaking, and opens a new window on our world. 1755348 book 1994 Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of his Time total:2080|5:474|4:891|3:597|2:96|1:22| 2080 7939 2951 353 0 2 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Aug 20 08:37:36 -0700 2007 Mon Aug 20 09:04:37 -0700 2007 Longitude, by Dava Sobel, just after I finished high school, and I devoured it in a sitting or two. It was the first non-fiction book, I think, that I really couldn't put down.

The (true) story is great: legendary historical figures like Isaac Newton, Galileo, James Cook, ...more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Oct 07 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 29 05:44:24 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 29 05:45:52 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Jun 03 12:28:38 -0700 2007 Sun Jun 03 13:10:22 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 1 false true Mon Jan 05 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 05 19:59:09 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 05 20:08:46 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Dec 04 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 04 21:51:59 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 04 21:52:43 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri Jun 29 03:52:48 -0700 2007 Fri Jun 29 03:58:27 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Dec 26 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Sat Oct 03 17:37:30 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 03 17:39:30 -0700 2009 Old review from 2005.

Since my fondest wish is to sail the high seas of the 19th century, I need to learn how to find myself without GPS. I also love this cover: a violent sea dashing ships to splinters, and, from on high, a man, in a wig, with a clock, come to deliver the poor dogs from ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat May 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat May 30 19:03:47 -0700 2009 Sat May 30 19:47:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 true false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 26 10:38:32 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 26 10:43:06 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon Nov 12 18:31:47 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 04 15:11:09 -0800 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 1997 Sun Oct 25 19:20:02 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 25 19:37:26 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Nov 08 10:08:28 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 08 10:16:50 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false true Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri May 29 17:05:55 -0700 2009 Sun May 31 08:39:46 -0700 2009 Longitude is a beautifully written account of the longitude race that occured in the 17th and 18th centuries. Sobel is a brilliant, gifted writer who makes the history of science fun and interesting. This is a must read.

NOTE: I found out from one of the curators at the Royal Observato...more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Jan 29 16:38:32 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 29 16:40:13 -0800 2008 3 1 false false Mon Jul 14 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 10 05:54:08 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 14 15:04:14 -0700 2008 5 1 false false Sun Jun 01 02:35:35 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 01 02:36:57 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Apr 01 05:50:13 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 01 05:54:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Nov 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Oct 02 11:02:50 -0700 2009 Tue Nov 10 18:28:37 -0800 2009 Philadelphia Inquirer

and "This is a gem of a book." - New York Times

I th...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Oct 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 25 15:54:03 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 26 19:19:44 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Aug 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 17 08:46:15 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 17 19:50:42 -0700 2009
That is not to downplay the importance of John Harrison's clock but just to say that it's a ...more...]]>