Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time [J0070-HC]

1995 HCDJ in excellent condition. 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. 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.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "After hearing about this book I knew I wanted to read it. And I'm so glad I did! I had never considered, and didn't even know about, the issue of not knowing one's longitude before. This book has given me so many other subjects I now want to delve into."; "This was an enjoyable book that explained the history of the longitude problem well and the attempts to solve it. It was well written and kept me wanting to read more. If you like nerdy, science and engineering history, you will enjoy this book."; "One of the most compelling historical non-fiction works out there. A fascinating tale of a man who should be as well remembered in Britain as Sir Isaac Newton."