M&D reading supplies

[davemarc]

There's absolutely no reason to fear Dava Sobel's Longitude, which is not
about cartography so much as (surprise!) Longitude.  It's concise,
interesting, easy to read, and available in an attractive 184 page Penguin
paperback priced at $10.95 US, $13.99 Canadian. 

>From the blurb:

"During the great ages of exploration, "the longitude problem" was the
gravest of scientific challenges.  Lacking the ability to determine their
longitude, sailors were literally lost at sea as soon as they lost sight of
land.  Ships ran aground on rocky shores; those traveling well-known routes
were easy prey to pirates.

"In 1714, England's Parliament offered a huge reward to anyone whose method
of measuring longitude could be proven successful.  The scientific
establishment--from Galileo to Sir Isaac Newton--had mapped the heavens in
its certainty of a celestial answer.  In stark contrast, one man, John
Harrison, dared to imagine a mechanical solution--a clock that would keep
precise time at sea, something no clock had been able to do on land.  And
the race was on..."

A fascinating tale--with or without ripped bodices.

davemarc