Finding Longitude: How ships, clocks and stars helped solve the longitude problem

by Richard Dunn, Rebekah Higgitt, National Maritime Museum (Great Britain)

300 years ago, amidst growing frustration from the naval community and pressure from the increasing importance of international trade, the British government passed the 1714 Longitude Act. It was an attempt to solve one of the most pressing problems of the age: how to determine a ship's longitude (east-west position) at sea. With life-changing rewards on offer, the challenge captured the imaginations and talents of astronomers, skilled craftsmen, politicians, seamen and satirists. This illustrated book is a detailed account of these stories, and how the longitude problem was solved.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Richard Dunn (1966-) is the Senior Curator and Head of Science and Technology at Royal Museums Greenwich. Richard is Keeper of Technologies and Engineering at the Science Museum, London, which involves managing a team of curators, as well leading on content and delivery of galleries, exhibitions and research and on the development of the collections. He has worked in the museum sector since 1992 in a range of curatorial and interpretation roles at the Whipple Museum of the History of Science in Cambridge, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Ragged School Museum, the British Museum, English Heritage and Royal Museums Greenwich.

Reviews

[Christiffer Vogts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this over the course of a weekend for a project in school. I found it interesting and fun however slightly dry. The book as a whole was great and gave me a better scale of how events unfolded.