Longitude is not simply the story of a man crucial to solving this problem, but the beginning of the solutions which have led to our present day ability to locate ourselves with such accuracy. Longitude is the story of John Harrison, whose precision timepieces finally enabled navigators to determine reliably their longitudinal position at sea. But it is also how a man of rather humble beginnings bested, with his mechanical abilities, some of the keenest scientific and mathematical minds in western history, including Galileo, Cassini, Huygens, Euler, Newton, and Halley. In addition, it is a story of human nature and the political ambitions which delayed the acceptance of Harrison's chronometers and their use by sailors. If I have a complaint about this book it is that the pictures of the chronometers are so tiny.
Longitude is a delight to read and has all of the elements of a story of intrigue.
If you truly want to understand something about the basis for science, humanity's exploration of the world, and how and why these things advance, this book is an excellent place to start. A big improvement, as I said it would be. For questions or comments about a review, please contact the person listed at the top of the review. Ed's Internet Book Review is copyright 1995-2001, Dr. Edwin V. Bell, II, all rights reserved. Limited reproduction is granted for classroom use, personal use, and for review purposes.