Author(s): Dava Sobel

History

Longitude is the dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest. The 'longtiude problem' was the thorniest deliema of the eighteenth century. Lacking the ability to measure longitude, sailors throughout the great ages of exploration had been literaly lost at sea.At the heart of Dava Sobel's fascinating brief history of astronomy, naviagation and horology stands the figure of John Harrison, self-taught Yorkshire clockmaker, and his forty-year obsession with building the perfect timekeeper. Battling against the establishent, Harrison stood alone in pursuit of his solution and the twenty thousand pound reward offered by Parliament.