Readable and compelling narrative that can encourage reader interest in social history of science. ( )

(1995)Very good story of Englishman John Harrison who came up with a chronometer that allowed seamen to figure out longitude on their voyages. While sailors can readily gauge latitude by the height of the sun or guiding stars above the horizon, the measurement of longitude bedeviled navigators for centuries, resulting in untold shipwrecks. Galileo, Isaac Newton and Edmund Halley entreated the moon and stars for help, but their astronomical methods failed. In 1714, England's Parliament offered #20,000 (equivalent to millions of dollars today) to anyone who could solve the problem. Self-educated English clockmaker John Harrison (1693-1776) found the answer by inventing a chronometer?a friction-free timepiece, impervious to pitch and roll, temperature and humidity?that would carry the true time from the home port to any destination. But Britain's Board of Longitude, a panel of scientists, naval officers and government officials, favored the astronomers over humble "mechanics" like Harrison, who received only a portion of the prize after decades of struggle. Yet his approach ultimately triumphed, enabling Britannia to rule the waves. In an enthralling gem of a book, former New York Times science reporter Sobel spins an amazing tale of political intrigue, foul play, scientific discovery and personal ambition. (Publisher's Weekly)

I didn't intend to read the entire book in one day, but that's what happened.

If you've ever read anything by Tom Standage, you'll enjoy this book. Sobel says in her sources that this book was meant to be a popular account rather than a scholarly exploration, and it sure reads like a popular account. She weaves the problem of longitudinal navigation so well that you're compelled to read through the solution even if you've never set foot on a large vessel in your life.

It's also interesting, now, to think that these clocks created by John Harrison are still in working order, nearly 300 years later. The craftsmanship employed by an amateur is staggering and underscores the immensity of his work. ( )

This is another of those under the radar books about science where I’ve said to myself, “Why didn’t I know any of this stuff or of John Harrison?” He is the focus of this book about the development of a method of determining longitude, a process that was instrumental especially in sea travel. Harrison and his son William throughout their careers fought the proponents of determining longitude by using the sky and complex mathematics. Of course, if ships encountered bad weather or even cloud over, that method wasn’t dependable. The four devices Harrison invented, all carrying the first initial of his last name were marvels of their time and ours, thanks to their permanent display at the British Museum of Clocks and Watches at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England. Harrison should stand with the greatest scientists of all time for his achievement. ( )

A good ol' history read! This was a fascinating look into the battle over lunar distances and timepiece development in the darker ages of navigation at sea! It was a clear, well-researched, well-presented book about the hunt for an accurate tool for determining longitude. ( )