Sobel, Dava
Longitude
- ISBN 13:
- 9780007214228
- author:
- Sobel, Dava
- format:
- Paperback
- publisher:
- Harper Perennial
- language:
- English
- Publication Year:
- 2005
- Pages:
- 192
- Dimensions:
- 19.81 x 1.52 x 12.95 centimetres
- Genre:
- Biography: general
- Condition:
- New
- Availability:
- Item usually sent within 4 working days
Description
The story of how to calculate longitude was the thorniest scientific dilemma of the 18th century, with thousands of lives and the fortunes of nations hanging in the balance. In 1714, a king's ransom was offered to anyone who could prove a successful method or device. Amidst the preposterous suggestions, one man, John Harrison, dared to imagine a mechanical solution.
Full of heroism and chicanery, brilliance and absurdity, Longitude is a fascinating tale of astronomy, navigation, and clockmaking. With a new Foreword by astronaut Neil Armstrong, this tenth anniversary edition of Dava Sobel's book offers a gripping account of an epic scientific quest.
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