The Longitude Prize [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Joan Dash (Author), Dusan Petricic (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book

By the start of the eighteenth century, many thousands of sailors had perished at sea because their captains had no way of knowing longitude, their east-west location. Latitude, the north-south position, was easy enough, but once out of sight of land not even the most experienced navigator had a sure method of fixing longitude. So the British Parliament offered a substantial monetary prize to whoever could invent a device to determine exact longitude at sea. Many of the world's greatest minds tried -- and failed -- to come up with a solution. Instead, it was a country clockmaker named John Harrison who would invent a clock that could survive wild seas and be used to calculate longitude accurately. But in an aristocratic society, the road to acceptance was not a smooth one, and even when Harrison produced not one but five elegant, seaworthy timekeepers, each an improvement on the one that preceded it, claiming the prize was another battle. Set in an exciting historical framework -- telling of shipwrecks and politics -- this is the story of one man's creative vision, his persistence against great odds, and his lifelong fight for recognition of a brilliant invention.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dash (We Shall Not Be Moved) pens an engrossing tale of the scientific contest for the Longitude Prize, which was offered through a 1714 act of the British Parliament in response to the devastating loss to the British navy of four battleships and hundreds of sailors. Opening with a gripping historical account of a shipwreck, the author sets up a compelling argument for the need to determine a vessel's position on the open sea. Without means for determining longitude, "English ships had been sailing everywhere in the Western world, relying on charts and maps that often had little relation to reality." The Parliament establishes the prize for "any device or invention for determining longitude" with a reward "roughly equal to $12 million today." (Even Isaac Newton competed.) Enter unlikely contender John Harrison, a carpenter and clockmaker, "a loner, plain-spoken, often tactless, with a temper he couldn't always control, and a genius for mechanics." Dash spotlights Harrison's biography as she navigates scientific and cultural history, describing the dynamics between officers and sailors. (She also mentions the role of Captain James Cook, of the Endeavour, in proving the worthiness of Harrison's inventionDCook figures prominently in Hesse's Stowaway, reviewed above). Petricic's caricaturelike drawings and the ragged-edge paper lend the volume a touch of class. Dash begins with more panache than she ends with, but keeps the suspense high throughout. Fans of science, history and invention and anyone who roots for the underdog will enjoy this prize of a story. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up-This rousing history focuses on the life of the British clockmaker who invented an ingenious way of measuring longitude at sea. This form of measurement was undeveloped in the 18th century, so the British Parliament offered a prize of 20,000 pounds to the first person to come up with an accurate system. John Harrison eventually succeeded overcoming not only the practical problem, but also the prejudices of the scientific community against his humble background and his unusual method. Dash is enthusiastic about her subject, injecting true drama and excitement into the narrative without veering from history. Her explanations of science concepts are clear and easy to follow. Though Harrison's work is key, his life intersects that of many other colorful characters, including Edmond Halley and King George III, all of whom emerge as interesting individuals. Many parts of Harrison's life are unrecorded, but the text always clarifies which areas are speculation or fact. In fact, the piecing together of data by historians becomes a fascinating element of the book, giving readers insight into the challenges and techniques of biographical research. Petricic's small, clever illustrations that open each chapter enhance the text. Dava Sobel's Longitude (Walker, 1995) brought Harrison to the attention of many adults, but The Longitude Prize may need a push to find a young audience. Consider recommending this high-quality title for biography assignments, for inventor reports, and for fans of Jean Latham's Carry on, Mr. Bowditch (Houghton, 1955).
Steven Engelfried, Deschutes County Library, Bend, OR
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (October 13, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374346364
• ISBN-13: 978-0374346362
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,084,880 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful children's book about navigation, November 5, 2000

By 

Elizabeth Bottman (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Longitude Prize (Hardcover)

"The Longitude Prize," by Joan Dash, is a wonderful book for children, 9 to 12 years old, about the 18th century race for an accurate method of determining a ship's longitude. The author makes history come alive and explains how Britain's Parliament offered a prize of 20,000 pounds (equal to $12 million today) to anyone who found an accurate method of determining longitude at sea. As Mrs. Dash explains, the prize went unclaimed for fifty years. During that time, two competing systems arose for finding longitude; one was supported by scientists and astronomers, based on the movement of the moon. The other method was created by a village carpenter, John Harrison, using a seagoing clock. John Harrison was self-educated and had no formal credentials, so the Board of Longitude fought him "tooth and nail," when he offered his chronometer and claimed the prize. Mrs. Dash makes the race for the prize an exciting one. She shows the historical framework of shipwrecks, politics, voyages of exploration, and John Harrison's persistence against great odds, and (quoting the book jacket) "his lifelong struggle for recognition of a brilliant invention." My 10-year-old son loved this book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Prize is a gem, October 9, 2009

By 

N. B. Kennedy (Hopewell, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Longitude Prize (Hardcover)

As I read this wonderful book, I wondered how many good books I've missed out on simply because they were on the Young Adult shelf. Actually, I found this book in the juvenile section of our library. And I'm so glad I did!

Many YA books make a great read because the prose is straightforward and unmarred by the literary flourishes that so often muddle books for the adult market. And -- no small point -- they have pictures!

This story of the eighteenth-century quest to claim "The Longitude Prize," a huge sum of money (equal to $12 million today) offered to the person who could solve the sticky problem of how to determine longitude at sea, has both of these qualities. The text is simple but compelling and the illustrations are entertaining.

In fact, the one drawback I found to Dava Sobel's very arresting tale of the same quest, Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time was its lack of illustrations. In a story that revolves around intricate "sea clocks" made by Yorkshireman John Harrison, you want to know what the machines looked like. Joan Dash and Dusan Petricic showed me! (I could also take a field trip to the observatory at Greenwich, England, where they're displayed. Even better!)

This is the second YA book I've really enjoyed. The first was a fictionalization of the Noah's ark story -- Not the End of the World -- and I'll be sure to look for others. It's time to enjoy my second childhood!

5.0 out of 5 stars A prize from High school to Grad school, January 18, 2012

By 

Purple_Saturday (Lebanon, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Longitude Prize (Hardcover)

This is a great book, and one of the first that got me hooked on the topics of history and international relations. I found this book in high school on the YA shelf of my library, and now I am taking a grad class dealing with History and Time that goes back to this wonderful story about John Harrison. I just wish more teens, and adults, would read more books like this and less vampire trash! :)