The 10th Anniversary edition of this classic book has now been released with a new foreword by Neil Armstrong.
Longitude is the dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest. At the heart of Dava Sobel's fascinating brief history of astronomy, navigation and horology stands the figure of John Harrison, self-taught Yorkshire clockmaker, and his forty-year obsession with building the perfect timekeeper.
Dava Sobel is an award-winning former science reporter for the New York Times and writes frequently about science for several magazines, including Audubon, Discover, Life and Omni.
"Rarely have I enjoyed a book as much as Dava Sobel's Longitude. She has an extraordinary gift of making difficult ideas clear."
- Patrick O'Brian, Daily Telegraph
"In this tale, embracing basic astronomy, navigation and the science of clocks, the reader is swept along on the epic voyage of the mind and the globe."
- Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal, Sunday Times
"Dava Sobel has written a gem of a book [...] one of the best reads for the non-scientific writing to come along for many a moon."
- Financial Times
"A true life thriller, jam-packed with political intrigue, international warfare, personal feuds and financial skullduggery."
- Daily Mail