{"product_id":"longitude-the-true-story-of-a-lone-genius-who-solved-the-greatest-scientific-problem-of-his-time-by-dava-sobel","title":"Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest and of one man's forty-year obsession to find a solution to the thorniest scientific dilemma of the day--\"the longitude problem.\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnyone alive in the eighteenth 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. One man, John Harrison, in complete opposition to the scientific community, dared to imagine a mechanical solution-a clock that would keep precise time at sea, something no clock had ever been able to do on land. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ci\u003eLongitude\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e is the dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest\u003c\/strong\u003e and of Harrison's forty-year obsession with building his perfect timekeeper, known today as the chronometer. Full of heroism and chicanery, it is also a fascinating brief history of astronomy, navigation, and clockmaking, and opens a new window on our world.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"This is a gem of a book.\" --\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristopher Lehmann-Haupt, New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"A simple tale, brilliantly told.\" -- \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post Book World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"As much a tale of intrigue as it is of science...A book full of gems for anyone interested in history, geography, astronomy, navigation, clockmaking, and--not the least--plain old human ambition and greed.\" -- \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ci\u003ePhiladelphia Inquirer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Only someone with Dava Sobel's unusual background in both astronomy and psychology could have written it. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eLongitude\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003eis a wonderful story, wonderfully told.\" --\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ci\u003eDiane Ackerman, author of A Natural History of the Senses\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"The marine chronometer is a glorious and fascinating object, but it is not a simple one, and its explanation calls for a writer as skilled with words as the watchmakers were with their tools; happily such a writer has been found in Dava Sobel.\" -- \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ci\u003ePatrick O'Brian, author of The Commodore and the Aubrey\/Maturin series\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDava Sobel \u003c\/strong\u003e(born June 15, 1947) is the author of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eLongitude, Galileo's Daughter, The Planets,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eand most recently\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eA More Perfect Heaven: How Copernicus Revolutionized the Cosmos\u003c\/i\u003e. A former staff science reporter for\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eshe has also written for numerous magazines, including\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eDiscover,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eHarvard Magazine, Smithsonian,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eand\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHer most unforgettable assignment at the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eTimes\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e required her to live 25 days as a research subject in the chronophysiology lab at Montefiore Hospital, where the boarded-up windows and specially trained technicians kept her from knowing whether it was day outside or night. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHer work has won recognition from the National Science Board, which gave her its 2001 Individual Public Service Award \"for fostering awareness of science and technology among broad segments of the general public.\" She also received the 2004 Harrison Medal from the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers in England and the 2008 Klumpke-Roberts Award from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for \"increasing the public understanding and appreciation of astronomy.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA 1964 graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, she has taught several seminars in science writing at the university level, and looks forward to a two-year residency at Smith College beginning in fall 2013.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBloomsbury USA\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePub Date: \u003cspan\u003eNovember 01, 2007\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e0.59\" H x 7.38\" L x 4.66\" W\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e208 Pages\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePaperback\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Macmillan","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45019894710458,"sku":"9780802715296","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0444\/2213\/5968\/files\/71LBaCY3s8L._SL1500.jpg?v=1754075211","url":"https:\/\/naturenurture.shop\/products\/longitude-the-true-story-of-a-lone-genius-who-solved-the-greatest-scientific-problem-of-his-time-by-dava-sobel","provider":"nature+nurture","version":"1.0","type":"link"}