Presented in a clear and easily understood manner, Dava Sobel, a highly respected science writer introduces us to one of the most important scientific problems of the 16th to the 19th centuries- the problem to seafarers of determining longitude or in other words a reliable means of establishing a ship's whereabouts without the guidance of landmarks."As more and more sailing vessels set out to conquer or explore new territories, to wage war , or to ferry gold and commodities between foreign lands..........untold numbers of sailors died when their destinations suddenly loomed out of the sea or....... the extra time at sea condemned sailors to the dreaded disease of scurvy".Also the economic havoc created by the loss of trading ships was enormous. As astronomers tried to find a solution in the moon and stars a self educated clockmaker from rural England devoted his life to inventing a timepiece that would carry true time (all watches at the time were very inaccurate because the metal workings were influenced by temperature) from the home port as a reference point for working out the ship's longitude This is a fascinating and dramatic account of that man, his inventiveness his craftsmanship and of the Scientific elite who often hampered him.
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