About this title: To meet reader demand, here is an illustrated version of a universally acclaimed work published in 1995. 110 color and 73 b&w illustrations. Ties in to a PBS NOVA documentary airing in October.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Your search:Books»The Illustrated Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time(47 available copies)
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Walker & Company
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780802775931ISBN:0802775934
Description: Good. Used Condition-GOOD can be a well cared for Book that is in great condition to a Book that may show some signs of wear. GOOD Books sometimes are permanently marked; have some spine or page creases; exibit signs of aging or an ExLibrary copy. ** Sometimes grease pencil or permanent marking on cover. May contain limited notes and or highlighting. 100% Satisfaction guaranteed on all purchases. ** SHIPS FROM USA-Domestic Delivery takes 5-14 days ** read more
Description: Fair. Dust Cover Missing. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Walker & Company
Date Published: 2003-01-01
ISBN-13:9780802775931ISBN:0802775934
Description: Good. What's the difference between fiction and reality? Ficton has to make sense. Tom Clancy. If you buy this book, it will ship from Kentucky. It may have some writing and highlighting. If this is a book for class, it might not have some of the extra materials it originally came with like the CD or any access codes. You probably don't need those anyway, but you might want to check with your professor first just in case. Please email us if you have any questions, and thanks for checking us ... read more
Description: Good in n/a jacket. Tall softcover. Sound & good copy, light to moderate shelf/reading wear. May not be available for international shipment due to weight/size. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Walker & Company
Date Published: 1998-10-01
ISBN-13:9780802713445ISBN:0802713440
Description: Good. Light edge and corner wear to dust jacket. Light creases to dust jacket. Dust jacket is in good condition. Light edge and corner wear to book. Pages still clean and tight. Book is in good condition. All U.S. orders shipped with tracking number and e-mail confirmation. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Walker & Company
Date Published: 2003-01-01
ISBN-13:9780802775931ISBN:0802775934
Description: New. Book is Brand New, Gift condition. Free tracking # included! International buyers are welcome. We ship every business day. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Walker & Company
Date Published: 2003-01-01
ISBN-13:9780802775931ISBN:0802775934
Description: New. Book is Brand New, Gift condition. Free tracking # included! International buyers are welcome. We ship every business day. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed! read more
Edition: First Edition; First Printing
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Walker & Company, New York
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780802775931ISBN:0802775934
Description: Very Good+ 0802775934. Bright unmarked book in lightly rubbed card covers and slight rippling to top edge of last twenty pages.; 0.52 x 9.92 x 8.96 Inches; 216 pages. read more
"A terrific biography of John Harrison, the eighteenth century horological genius who invented the chronometer (an accurate timepiece which allowed navigators to reliably fix their longitude anywhere in the world). Sailors had been determining their latitude (north-south position) by observing the heavens since ancient times, but longitude (east-west position) was always a different story (since the earth is in constant motion toward the east and there is no fixed reference point in the sky). Harrison devoted practically his entire life to the invention of his device. In addition to the engineering difficulties involved, he had to work against the very strong bias which existed at the time against some sort of mechanical solution and in favor of a solution based purely on astronomical observation. The story of how Harrison eventually proved them wrong-but almost lost anyway-is told here with delightful and engaging skill."
"Rivetting, fast read of the global pursuit of the solution to a navigation problem that improved our knowledge of astronomy, the speed of light and quite possibly created the British colonial empire. My one quibble: it needs illustrations. The somewhat arcane discussion of how to figure longitude by the celestial clock, in particular, and the tools developed for this approach would benefit from some pictures and diagrams: There are none. This isn't necessarily the author's fault, but it's the book that's being reviewed."
"This book had its moments. It definitely had an important historical story to tell. At times, though I found myself thinking that this is just a good story you hear in a museum or a history class.
That is not to downplay the importance of John Harrison's clock but just to say that it's a good story with some intrigue but I feel like I could've gotten the gist of the story much more quickly and not have lost that much.
Interesting, but a bit long maybe for anyone who isn't a nautical or clock making junkie."
"This is a fascinating account of the quest for a way to calculate one's relative east-west location on the globe and John Harrison, the genius clockmaker who figured it out. As with so many scientific breakthroughs, an effective method wasn't developed overnight. For over a century, scientists worked from different premises using different methods before one method became widely used. As always, politics played a large role into who got the credit and/or financial reward for the inventions. Harrison, whose chronometer was found to be the first method of accurately discerning longitude, fought a lifelong battle against snobbery and jealous rivals. Perhaps if the book had been read by a different person, I would have given it a higher rating. As it was, I grew increasingly irritated by Kate Reading's exaggerated Oxbridge accent. She never met an "a" she didn't like to draaaaah out or an "r" she wanted to sound. Most annoying were her idiosyncratic pronunciations of names, for example, Bonaparte as "Bohn-a-pah-tay" or Tyco (Brahe) as "Tuck-oo." As the last straw, she incorrectly used the Spanish pronunciation of Byron's "Don Juan." If you want to put on the dog, at least do your damn homework."
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