Stephanie Jane reviewed Longitude by Dava Sobel
Very readable
4 stars
More biography than science book, Dava Sobel's Latitude chronicles the struggle of the now famous John Harrison to have his incredible chronometer be taken seriously by an establishment elite who were none to impressed by being out-thought by a self-taught commoner! Interestingly, one of the supporting cast here, Flamsteed, appeared in a fictional capacity in my previous read, The Chronos Clock. Sobel doesn't dwell on the intricacies of telling longitude by the astronomical or timekeeping methods so this book doesn't enable the reader to go out and complete calculations for themselves. Instead she concentrates on the human story of John Harrison and his son, William. Their struggle seems all the more poignant given how successful later cheaper copies of his inventions went on to be. Sobel's romantic storytelling style - we have definite heroes and villains - makes this an easy book to read, more historical novel than history although …
More biography than science book, Dava Sobel's Latitude chronicles the struggle of the now famous John Harrison to have his incredible chronometer be taken seriously by an establishment elite who were none to impressed by being out-thought by a self-taught commoner! Interestingly, one of the supporting cast here, Flamsteed, appeared in a fictional capacity in my previous read, The Chronos Clock. Sobel doesn't dwell on the intricacies of telling longitude by the astronomical or timekeeping methods so this book doesn't enable the reader to go out and complete calculations for themselves. Instead she concentrates on the human story of John Harrison and his son, William. Their struggle seems all the more poignant given how successful later cheaper copies of his inventions went on to be. Sobel's romantic storytelling style - we have definite heroes and villains - makes this an easy book to read, more historical novel than history although it is factual. It is a good starting point and inspired both further reading and a visit to Greenwich for me. We were right there, outside the museum that houses Harrison's chronometers, a couple of summers ago, but didn't pay up to go inside. Having both enjoyed reading this book I think we'll be returning pretty soon!
