Thursday, September 30, 2010

Longitude by Dava Sobel


Harrison's final triumph - the compact chronometer


I am getting back to my stack
of books that is now filled with
other ones! This book was a reread
for me and the first in my literature
class for Am. Literature. Why this
book? They do a project on maps
and this prepared them.

Dava Sobel
always writes a good
biography. This one is on John
Harrison ( my husband says to
remember his name think of
two Beatles: John...and George)
was a clockmaker. He invented the
chromometer . The Longitude Act
of 1714 had a prize which Harrison
did win after he worked all his life
on a clock that would measure longitude.
It took him 4 decades and 4 clocks,
finally getting it down to the above
size.
His ability to work hard at a calling
was amazing.
He changed the world and navigation.
This was one of the largest scientific
endevours in history. Did you know that?


4 comments:

beth said...

Bonnie,
We read Longitude aloud a couple of years ago. It was fascinating!

Nancy Kelly said...

It truly is amazing. I read Longitude a few years ago after I read The Man Who Made Time Travel by Lasky to the littles. We all enjoyed that pictured book, too.

Nancy Kelly said...

I got the letter today!Thank you so much - will read the article tonight. (And I meant to type "picture book" not "pictured book") Off to bed...

walking said...

Thanks for sharing. Heading off to Paperbackswap, Bonnie!