Customer Reviews

Masters of All They Surveyed: Exploration, Geography, and a British El Dorado

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As an aficionado of the history of the British Empire, I found this book to be very informative and readable. Knowing nothing of the subject beforehand, being easy to read is important. The erudition of the author's style may intimidate some, but, in the end, it is precisely the element of the book which carries the reader beyond a mere chronology of events and through synthesis and interpretation gives perspective and colour to what comes out as an adventuresome story, well told, about, of all things, surveying. The experts in the field will probably have their nits to pick, just as Schomburgk had to deal with the RGS and Harrison had to suffer the nabobs of longitude, and the bridge-builder at Szavo had to contend with the lions, but the story will remain alive long after the lions are stuffed and relegated to museums.

An interesting, well researched book about Robert Schomburgk's attempts to obtain a place for himself in history within the context of setting forth British Guiana's borders using the science and land surveying techniques available to him in the 19th century. The prose of book, however, is what native Guyanese would call 'high falautin' and, toward the end, I disagree with a few of his political theories on modern Guyanese politics; moreover, significantly, there is some repetition. In the end, Graham adds a human and scientific aspect to the discourse concerning the disputed boundaries. The editors should have allowed for a rewrite and/or the author should not have rushed to market or allowed for more maturity. I would recommend the paperback.

This book was a total waste of time. Full of high-blown, flowery prose, lofty hypotheses, and absolute nonsense. Sometimes a Ph.D thesis--which this apparently was before the University of Chicago Press was convinced to publish it--ought to remain a Ph.D. thesis. A waste of trees, a waste of ink, and a waste of time. Save your money and read the yellow pages--you will enjoy it more than Masters of All They Surveyed