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Ships, Clocks, And Stars: The Quest For Longitude

A tale of eighteenth-century invention and competition, commerce and conflict, this is a lively, illustrated, and accurate chronicle of the search to solve “the longitude problem,” the question of how to determine a ship’s position at sea—and one that changed the history of mankind.Ships, Clocks, and Stars brings into focus one of our greatest scientific stories: the search to accurately measure a ship’s position at sea. The incredible, illustrated volume reveals why longitude mattered to seafaring nations, illuminates the various solutions that were proposed and tested, and explores the invention that revolutionized human history and the man behind it, John Harrison. Here, too, are the voyages of Captain Cook that put these revolutionary navigational methods to the test.Filled with astronomers, inventors, politicians, seamen, and satirists, Ships, Clocks, and Stars explores the scientific, political, and commercial battles of the age, as well as the sailors, ships, and voyages that made it legend—from Matthew Flinders and George Vancouver to the voyages of the Bounty and the Beagle.Featuring more than 150 photographs specially commissioned from Britain’s National Maritime Museum, this evocative, detailed, and thoroughly fascinating history brings this age of exploration and enlightenment vividly to life.

Hardcover: 256 pages

Publisher: Harper Design; 1st edition (November 4, 2014)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 006235356X

ISBN-13: 978-0062353566

Product Dimensions: 1 x 9.8 x 12.2 inches

Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Best Sellers Rank: #668,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #193 in Books > History > Australia & Oceania > Oceania #239 in Books > Engineering & Transportation > Engineering > Reference > Patents & Inventions #315 in Books > History > Historical Study & Educational Resources > Historical Geography

I enjoyed this book. It is a comprehensive look at how we discovered how to determine longitude. Authors Richard Dunn and Rebekah Higgitt offer clear explanations of the methods and tools used. They write in a conversational tone and provide many illustrations and photos. I enjoyed the book a little more than I enjoyed Dava Sobel’s Longitude as it covered more ground and was more objective. Sobel’s book focused on the inventor of the marine chronometer, John Harrison. Although the Sobel and the Dunn/Higgitt books are both very good, if you are only going to read one of them, then I recommend Dunn’s. Dunn’s book is also a good complement to You Are Here: From the Compass to GPS, the History and Future of How We Find Ourselves by Hiawatha Bray and Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens by Andrea Wulf.

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