
Longitude
The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time
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Narrated by:
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Kate Reading
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Neil Armstrong
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By:
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Dava Sobel
During the great ages of exploration, "the longitude problem" was the gravest of all scientific challenges. Lacking the ability to determine their longitude, sailors were literally lost at sea as soon as they lost sight of land. Ships ran aground on rocky shores; those traveling well-known routes were easy prey to pirates.
In 1714, England's Parliament offered a huge reward to anyone whose method of measuring longitude could be proven successful. The scientific establishment--from Galileo to Sir Isaac Newton--had mapped the heavens in its certainty of a celestial answer. In stark contrast, one man, John Harrison, dared to imagine a mechanical solution--a clock that would keep precise time at sea, something no clock had been able to do on land. And the race was on....
©2005 Dava Sobel (P)2009 Random HouseListeners also enjoyed...




















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Surprisingly good
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Great Book!
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fascinating history of time keeping
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John Harrison Changed the World!
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Wonderful example of how scientific discovery works
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Wonderful Reader for a Story We Shouldn't Forget
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A greater understanding
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What made the experience of listening to Longitude the most enjoyable?
Learning about the surprisingly difficult quest to understand how longitude is calculated.What did you like best about this story?
The intrigue and back-stabbing amongst the scientific community trying to crack the longitude mystery.What about Kate Reading and Neil Armstrong ’s performance did you like?
Kate Reading was great. As a non-fiction book, it didn't have character voices or anything like that, but her performance was superb.Armstrong read the introduction (that he wrote) only. It was short and nice to hear the viewpoint of the astronaut.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
I enjoyed the entire thing.Any additional comments?
Great true story that you probably haven't heard, yet is so very important to so much travel and navigation that we take for granted in the 21st Century. At just over 4 hours long, it's the perfect length for a non-fiction history.Very interesting. Very Entertaining. Excellent!
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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Absolutely! It is so well produced, especially now that Neil Armstrong has died. His introduction to this book is a treasure.What did you like best about this story?
Sobel keeps the human story so interesting the science never gets in the way.Which character – as performed by Kate Reading and Neil Armstrong – was your favorite?
Both are marvelous!If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Harrison the clock maker beats England's greatest astronomers to win the prize for discovering longitude.Any additional comments?
Dava Sobel writes a fascinating story on whatever she decides to write about.I Never Tire of the LONGITUDE story!
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Great book to supplement H.S. Geography
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