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. One man, John Harrison, in complete opposition to the scientific community, 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 the dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest and of 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.
Longitude
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
The thorniest scientific problem of the eighteenth century was how to determine longitude. Many thousands of lives had been lost at sea over the centuries due to the inability to determine an east-west position. This is the engrossing story of the clockmaker, John "Longitude" Harrison, who solved the problem that Newton and Galileo had failed to conquer, yet claimed only half the promised rich reward.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
This look at the scientific quest to find a way for ships at sea to determine their longitude was a PW bestseller for eight weeks.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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186 of 193 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you can't get Newton and Galileo to solve your scientific problems, who do you turn to? Well the English government turned to everyone, hoping that some budding scientist could figure out the problem of calculating Longitude at sea. They even offered a huge reward. Why was it important? Without precise longitude, there was no way to steer a ship with any precision. Thus English ships were being wrecked and precious cargo wasn't making its scheduled delivery.
The scientists worked and worked on the problem. Many men including Edmund Halley thought that by mapping the stars, one could use the night sky as a map at sea. Although he knew little about science, a simple clockmaker named John Harrison thought that well-built clock with a dual face would solve the problem. You get to guess which person was right.
Longitude is both a vibrant story of the pains of solving an important problem, and a biography of the man who solved it. I don't tend to read the subject of science all that much, because I find it dry, but not so with this book. Author Dava Sobel lends an understanding of the human element in science. That Harrison has to fight snobbery first and later jealousy demonstrates how ego and self-importance can get in the way of the most important problems facing human beings. Not only will you learn how average people can solve enormous tasks, but you'll nod as the familiar self-promoters try to take the credit.
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you never knew before what a major problem it was before the world knew how to measure longitude (and I certainly didn't), Dava Sobel tells of both the problem and the man who finally solved it in this easy-to-understand and interesting book. Meet John Harrison, the clockmaker/genius who fights the British scientific establishment to prove his method of measuring longitude does work. I found this book to be a quick, interesting read on a topic, and a man, most people don't know anything about, but should.
115 of 132 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This is a highly readable little book, and I recommend it, with a few caveats.
Sobel presents her material logically and lucidly. She is a good prose stylist and is obviously an accomplished reporter. This book, however, feels like what it is: a series of articles stretched out a little to accomodate a best-seller format. The story is an intriguing one. An 18th century inventor rises from obscurity and against great odds and bias, produces an instrument that will prove of enormous benefit to his country and to humankind.
Just don't go into the reading of this book expecting great historical writing. Sobel acknowledges in a postscript that she doesn't include footnotes "because this book is intended as a popular account, not a scholarly study...". She has culled her research, for the most part, from interviewing historians, attending a seminar, and visiting various sites in England. At least she is forthright about her methodology, so she won't have to face the gauntlet that Kearns-Goodwin and Ambrose have recently had to run (mixed metaphor?).
Another minor irritation arises from the fact that one of the prominent blurbs one finds when opening the book comes from Diane Ackerman, whom Sobel later indentifies in her list of acknowledgments as her "dear friend." Again, at least she's being transparent about it, but it still strikes me as a bit disingenuous.
To her credit, Sobel does include a rather comprehensive bibliography, so those who want to further investigate Harrison's achievement are well guided.
Longitude is a good, quick summer read. For those who want some pith with their punch, however, I would recommend the A&E Sturridge video or CD adapted from this work.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Wonderful book - but where are the pictures?
I'm a technology history junkie and this book looked just right. And this Kindle book is, with a comprehensive history of the dispute over either using a chronometer to establish... Read more
Published 17 hours ago by David C. Casler
Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest...
The book was very enjoyable to read. As a Kindle product, however, the forward by Neil Armstrong was missing so that was disappointing.
Published 12 days ago by Catherine M.
How to make something significant boring
I found this to be a really drawn out story based on an interesting topic. The concept, the importance of the event, the history leading up to a press for the elusive solution -... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Kay Hayes
Wonderful history of a very important problem
I liked this book because the author did a good job of moving the story narrative forward without getting bogged down into too much tedious detail or quotes (in the tedious writing... Read more
Published 2 months ago by kkkwj
Great short book on a history of science and technology topic
This book is a great short read on the history of technology and science. It is about the search for a practical way for sailors to find their longitude at sea. Read more
Published 2 months ago by James M
Lovely Read
I am, by my own admission, extremely critical of almost everything I read. That said, this book is a fascinating masterpiece that tells the tale of the many attempts to reliably... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Michael Cohn
Hstorical Surprises
As an engineer I appreciated the technical issue. However, the best part of the book was why there were so many shipwrecks that changed the course of nations, and why longitude... Read more
Published 2 months ago by B. Farber
Longitude
This is an interesting account of a major scientific problem and its solution, which is almost all but forgotten today. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jack
Longitude
History brought to life in a dramatic account of the development of the chronometer. The issues of the day are posed so well as to give one a sense of urgency seeing the inventor... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Aqua 56
The story of one man's battle for recognition
This is the story of a man that solved a problem of navigation for ships at sea by the invention of a reliable clock. Read more
Published 2 months ago by GeooeG
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Once on a Wednesday excursion when I was a little girl, my father bought me a beaded wire ball that I loved. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
longitude act, lunar distance method, longitude solution, sea clocks, marine timekeepers, longitude prize, longitude problem, finding longitude, lunar tables Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Board of Longitude, John Harrison, Royal Society, West Indies, Royal Observatory, Nevil Maskelyne, Edmond Halley, Sir Clowdisley, Royal Navy, George Graham, Captain James Cook, Ferdinand Berthoud, King George, Paris Observatory, William Harrison, Captain Cook, Sir Isaac Newton, John Flamsteed, James Bradley, Captain Proctor, Christiaan Huygens, John Jefferys, Tobias Mayer, Thomas Mudge Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Once on a Wednesday excursion when I was a little girl, my father bought me a beaded wire ball that I loved. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
longitude act, lunar distance method, longitude solution, sea clocks, marine timekeepers, longitude prize, longitude problem, finding longitude, lunar tables Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Board of Longitude, John Harrison, Royal Society, West Indies, Royal Observatory, Nevil Maskelyne, Edmond Halley, Sir Clowdisley, Royal Navy, George Graham, Captain James Cook, Ferdinand Berthoud, King George, Paris Observatory, William Harrison, Captain Cook, Sir Isaac Newton, John Flamsteed, James Bradley, Captain Proctor, Christiaan Huygens, John Jefferys, Tobias Mayer, Thomas Mudge Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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