Republished to celebrate the 10th anniversary of this bestselling book, now with a new introduction by Neil Armstrong, 'Longitude' is the dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest: the search for the solution to how to calculate longitude and the unlikely triumph of an English genius. Anyone alive in the 18th-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 ...
Read More
Republished to celebrate the 10th anniversary of this bestselling book, now with a new introduction by Neil Armstrong, 'Longitude' is the dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest: the search for the solution to how to calculate longitude and the unlikely triumph of an English genius. Anyone alive in the 18th-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. The quest for a solution had occupied scientists and their patrons for the better part of two centuries when, in 1714, Parliament upped the ante by offering a king's ransom (GBP20,000) to anyone whose method or device proved successful. Countless quacks weighed in with preposterous suggestions. The scientific establishment throughout Europe -- from Galileo to Sir Isaac Newton -- had mapped the heavens in both hemispheres in its certain pursuit of a celestial answer. In stark contrast, one man, John Harrison, dared to imagine a mechanical solution. Full of heroism and chicanery, brilliance and the absurd, 'Longitude' is also a fascinating brief history of astronomy, navigation and clockmaking.
Read Less
Add this copy of Longitude to cart. $1.35, fair condition, Sold by Gulf Coast Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Memphis, TN, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Walker And Company.
Add this copy of Longitude to cart. $1.86, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brooklyn Park, MN, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by HarperPerennial.
Add this copy of Longitude to cart. $1.99, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 1998 by Harpercollins Pub Ltd.
Add this copy of Longitude Uk Edition True Story of a Lone Gen to cart. $1.99, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Fourth Estate.
Add this copy of Longitude to cart. $1.99, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1998 by Harpercollins Pub Ltd.
Add this copy of Longitude to cart. $1.99, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1998 by Harpercollins Pub Ltd.
Add this copy of Longitude to cart. $1.99, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1998 by Harpercollins Pub Ltd.
Add this copy of Longitude to cart. $2.14, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Walker And Company.
Add this copy of Longitude to cart. $2.14, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Walker And Company.
Add this copy of Longitude to cart. $2.14, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Walker And Company.
