Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Hardcover
$19.49

Paperback
$15.03

List Price: $23.00 Details

Save: $3.51 (15%)

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

FREE delivery Tuesday, January 23 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Select delivery location

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

$$19.49 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Ships from

Amazon

Ships from

Amazon

Sold by

TRIO ALLIANCE

Sold by

TRIO ALLIANCE

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.

Read full return policy

Payment

Secure transaction

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Details

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Tuesday, January 23 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Select delivery location

Used: Good | Details

Sold by Camp Evermore

Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Other Sellers on Amazon

Added

Not added

$19.50
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.00 shipped by Amazon.

Sold by: Joseph Book Shop

Added

Not added

$19.66
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.00 shipped by Amazon.

Sold by: sahafbookworm

Added

Not added

$19.95
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.00 shipped by Amazon.

Sold by: Great Lakes Consignment

Image Unavailable

Image not available for
Color:

To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

Michael Downing

Follow

Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time Hardcover – March 3, 2005

by Michael Downing (Author)

4.4 39 ratings

See all formats and editions

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$19.49","priceAmount":19.49,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"19","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"49","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"SjZMO0fX3uifhZfbv7oBQW5i0pxeUG8HwLQXTvL0aoSA0m6fTqFFtg1ItT4SWUXvk7sI0o%2BF7nQ%2FGyJvDfkqSnH%2B5jrjECCFL3K%2B2z1vdF18o4fL5TJrIfqfpPyWLDjZWULGJGgduNuLQ6X3SbObAt7AHmiQcTdZaaRqURX8YjInlFUg%2BWGtv4EqaGgqzq8q","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$11.28","priceAmount":11.28,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"11","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"28","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"SjZMO0fX3uifhZfbv7oBQW5i0pxeUG8HBfXAdGHOopZ10N8nZDcTLXNZLJ1cv3ZKzlrehoAmX551yEs8OXmvM4e%2FegUpfIcPHOWfcScFtF6z75gSD%2BRkIspVw0%2FhLnt5oegMmf2c%2BGFUS7fpO%2BTrC%2BdrdYe1Wo3aoSBXaA3T91wJ5UTO5C8LR9yjg2LpIxq3","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Michael Downing is obsessed with Daylight Saving, the loopy idea that became the most persistent political controversy in American history. Almost one hundred years after Congressmen and lawmakers in every state first debated, ridiculed, and then passionately embraced the possibility of saving an hour of daylight, no one can say for sure why we are required by law to change our clocks twice a year. Who first proposed the scheme? The most authoritative sources agree it was a Pittsburgh industrialist, Woodrow Wilson, a man on a horse in London, a Manhattan socialite, Benjamin Franklin, one of the Caesars, or the anonymous makers of ancient Chinese and Japanese water clocks.

Spring Forward is a portrait of public policy in the 20th century, a perennially boiling cauldron of unsubstantiated science, profiteering masked as piety, and mysteriously shifting time-zone boundaries. It is a true-to-life social comedy with Congress in the leading role, surrounded by a supporting cast of opportunistic ministers, movie moguls, stockbrokers, labor leaders, sports fanatics, and railroad execs.

From Publishers Weekly

This short, jam-packed account by Downing (Shoes Outside the Door; Breakfast with Scot) rights the often misunderstood history of daylight saving time. The idea, proposed in 1907 by British architect William Willett, who had an "epiphany" on one of his daily horseback rides through London at dawn, was first adopted in wartime Germany in 1916 to keep energy costs low. While many nations (including the U.S.) followed Germany's example through WWI, only Britain maintained the policy following the war. In America the practice was denigrated as a reminder of wartime hardship and as symptomatic of big government. It was New York City (not the nation's farmers, as many incorrectly believe) that rallied for its reinstatement. Pressured by bankers and brokers who wanted to capitalize on the hour of arbitrage daylight saving allowed with the London markets, the New York City Board of Aldermen lobbied it into law in 1920. The practice spread mostly haphazardly through the country, despite occasional efforts to enforce uniformity. While the history is awash in tedious legislative minutiae, Downing brings it to life by dramatizing politicians and various industries pitted against one another in absurd, often hilarious debates. It's a colorful story of something we all take to be fundamental, but through history has been maddening, divisive and baffling. Agent, Jonathan Matson.(Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Since Congress permanently adopted daylight saving time (DST) in 1966, we've become habituated to the seasonal clock-changing mnemonic of "spring forward, fall back." Stirring us from chronological complacency, Downing joins David Prerau (Seize the Daylight [BKL Mr 1 05]) in exploring its history, once nationally controversial and still contentious in states such as Indiana, which still resist the blandishments of pro-DST groups. It is these lobbyists and allied editorialists who attract Downing's merry asides about the ever-morphing justification for DST. It sprang from the mind of William Willett, who disliked Londoners sleeping in on summertime mornings. From its origin as an antisloth measure, Downing brings his narrative across the Atlantic, where DST charmed chamber-of-commerce leaders as a panacea for business efficiency. Warfare, not market-clearing microeconomics, persuaded Congress to adopt DST in 1918, but outraged farmers prompted its repeal the next year. Novelist Downing writes gracefully, with a penchant for the strange detail, and he draws much mirth from the facts about DST and its amorphous benefits. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“While the history is awash in tedious legislative minutiae, Downing brings it to life by dramatizing politicians and various industries pitted against one another in absurd, often hilarious debates. It's a colorful story of something we all take to be fundamental, but through history has been maddening, divisive and baffling.”—Publishers Weekly

“Novelist Downing writes gracefully, with a penchant for the strange detail, and he draws much mirth from the facts about [daylight savings time] and its amorphous benefits.”—Booklist

About the Author

Michael Downing's novels include the national bestseller Perfect Agreement, named one of the 10 Best Books of the year by Amazon and Newsday, and Breakfast with Scot, a comedy about two gay men who inadvertently become parents. An American Library Association honor book, Breakfast with Scot was adapted as a movie that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. His nonfiction includes Shoes Outside the Door: Desire, Devotion, and Excess at San Francisco Zen Center, hailed by the New York Review of Books as a "dramatic and insightful" narrative history of the first Buddhist monastery outside of Asia, and by the Los Angeles Times as "a highly readable book." His essays and reviews appear in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and other periodicals. Michael teaches creative writing at Tufts University. He and his partner have lived together in Cambridge for more than 25 years.

Print length

192 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Counterpoint
Publication date

March 3, 2005
Dimensions

6 x 1 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1593760531
ISBN-13

978-1593760533
See all details

Frequently bought together

Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time

$19.49

Get it as soon as Tuesday, Jan 23

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

Sold by TRIO ALLIANCE and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.

+

Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time

$23.75

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

Ships from and sold by CATINGTON LLC.

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Try again!

Details

Added to Cart

These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

David Prerau
44
Hardcover
35 offers from $2.13

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Counterpoint; First Edition (March 3, 2005)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1593760531
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1593760533
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.03 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,594,627 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,045 in History of Technology
- #6,082 in Russian History (Books)
- #16,110 in Fiction Satire

Customer Reviews:
4.4 39 ratings

Important information

To report an issue with this product or seller, click here.

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Michael Downing

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

39 global ratings

2 star

0%

1 star

2%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

M. Strong

Fun for the curious...

Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2005

Verified Purchase

This is one of those books that will appeal to those who always wonder why things are the way they are. Downing introduces his subject by listing all of the explanations he's heard for the existence of Daylight Saving Time and the various dates he's heard it was enacted. The stories are inconsistent and none of them make much sense. Dowling's curiosity about what the real story behind Daylight Saving Time was the impetus behind his writing this book and my reading the book. I wasn't disappointed.

Downing begins with the origination of the idea of Daylight Saving in England, takes you through its first implementation in Germany during WWI, quickly followed by Allied nations including the United States. The story is interesting in that the debate surrounding Daylight Savings has been more or less active from 1918 forward. The players usually don't come down on the side you've been led to believe by your parents and the media.

This is a great book for those who see what most people perceive as non-noteworthy occurences and feel the need to understand how they came to be. Highly recommended.

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

Thomas M. Sullivan

Use your "extra" hour for something useful

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2005

Verified Purchase

Guess I never (pardon the pun) took the time to ponder the origins or latent nonsense of Daylight Saving Time until I happened to catch one of Mr. Downing's book signing talks on C-Span or the like. He seemed a natural story-teller and so I guessed his book would be as pleasurable to read as his talk was to listen to. It is, and then some. He teaches creative writing, and it shows. His brief review of good old DST is as crisp as a mid-summer dawn and as reassuring as that night's sunset, the times of both distorted by DST. Great summer read. And why not, you do have an extra hour to devote to it.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Bear Flag

The background behind something that's part of our daily lives, but nobody knows where it came from

Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2019

Verified Purchase

A good history of how we got to now regarding Daylight Saving(s) Time. The author's research appears to have mostly been archived U.S. newspaper articles. He is somewhat skeptical of the energy benefits touted over the years. It is an easy and fun read. He brings a lot to light, though he never discovered exactly where the (s) came from.

Here is a synopsis: DST was invented by upper- and upper-middle class city folk who wanted to engage in outdoor leisure activities after work - golf, rifle range time, or whatever. It started in the UK and then spread to the U.S. at the end of WWI. Junk science energy benefits were typically the pretext. It was resisted at first when most people were farmers because farmers live by the sun, and in the era of small farms that made daily deliveries of milk and other produce, the time switch made life difficult - dew still on the ground, farm wives still having lunch ready at high noon, not official noon, etc. There were many confusing and uncoordinated attempts at DST over the years among the various states and municipalities, which played havoc on the lives of people, particularly those riding the rails, as America moved out of the "farm age" and into the "office age". New York City started DST as a permanent fixture in the U.S., and from there it was basically the rest of the U.S. trying to start their day an hour earlier to keep their business day coordinated.

Topics not covered that should have been include a more detailed analysis/charting of the hours of daylight and how it varies by time of year and latitude, or how increased home use of A/C in hot areas would negate any of the old minimal light bulb-based energy savings; and psychological/medical studies of changing people's circadian rhythms. I took a quick look at the Wikipedia page on the topic, which has the kind of analysis that this book lacks... but then this book was written in 2005, before Wikipedia was big.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Brian Halma

Light, whimsical book on daylight saving time

Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2021

Verified Purchase

This is a lighthearted meander through daylight saving time - it raises some interesting questions and provides some interesting perspective and history of daylight saving time. There are also puns and jokes throughout - some funny, some eye roll worthy. If you're looking for a serious study of daylight saving time, this is probably not your book; on the other hand, if you're up for a light, whimsical read on the topic, this may be your book.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

David P

Informative and Entertaining

Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2015

Verified Purchase

An entertaining and informative look at the controversial history of the origins of Daylight Saving Time. I'm glad to see there were a lot of folks opposed to the idea as I am. Looks like we lost though. As far as I'm concerned the entire planet should be on one Universal Time for the sake of simplicity.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Michael J Daugelli

I would have liked to see more of a conclusion

Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2015

Verified Purchase

Factually interesting, but somewhat all over the place when it came to the author's opinion. I would have liked to see more of a conclusion. Instead, it just kind of ended. Well worth reading because it pulls together a lot of interesting facts.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Richard Wiggins

Very informative

Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2014

Verified Purchase

Dayling Saving Time as we call it dates back to Benjamin Franklin counting candle as he wrote as the evening wore on and as the morning awoke. This book explains why so-called Daylight Time came to be. A great eread.

Helpful