Halley's Quest: A Selfless Genius and His Troubled Paramore

by Julie Wakefield

For most people, Edmond Halley is best known for accurately predicting the periodic appearance of the comet that ultimately would bear his name. But his greatest achievement may have been overlooked? indeed few people know that it was Halley who solved the riddle of accurate navigation for all sea-going vessels. As seventeenth-century scientists gradually came to believe that the inside of the Earth was magnetized they were puzzled by the fact magnetic north not only varied slightly from place to place, but gradually changed over time, suggesting a slow variation of the Earth's magnetic field. But if the Earth was permanently magnetized, how could its magnetism vary? Edmond Halley, Britain's Astronomer Royal, ingeniously proposed that the Earth contained a number of spherical shells, one inside the other, each magnetized differently, each slowly rotating in relation to the others. This brilliant deduction earned Halley the command of a small sailing ship, the 52-foot Paramore , and with it, a royal mandate. Halley was to sail forth "to stand so far into the South, till you discover the Coast of the Terra Incognita." But more importantly, determine the variation between true and magnetic north in order to more accurately calculate longitude?a feat that would improve Britain's navigational skills and ensure its dominance of the high seas. Halley's Quest takes readers on a trilogy of sea voyages, each of which proved to be as novel and revealing as it was difficult and controversial. But more than a yarn of risk and adventure, the story at the core of the book is a deeply personal and intellectual tale that captures the science and the spirit of an almost forgotten episode in the history of navigation. Once branded a heretic by the Church and denied a prestigious scholarly chair at Oxford University, Halley ultimately changed the course of science, producing charts that described more accurate ways to navigate and documenting new geophysical phenomena ranging from ocean patterns to the motion of Jupiter's moons. This delightful book emphasizes the drama of Halley's mission and the passion of an era hungry for the stories science had to tell.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, History

278 pages, Hardcover

First published September 20, 2005

Reviews

[Robert J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detailed history of Edmond Halley's life, his successes and shortcomings. The wide range of his scientific accomplishments, surprisingly many and varied, are reviewed in detail. His relationships with other famous scientists and the Royal Academy is especially interesting. The book goes a bit over-board in its detail - no pun intended. Trivia buffs will enjoy.

[Mike Prochot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting book filled with information about Edmond Halley who while recognized today for the comet which bears his name, was quite a prolific and important man of science and exploration in the late 1600's.

While named "Halley's Quest", the book is somewhat of a biography of Halley, but it is in such dire need of editing (as I read I was convinced that I had a proof copy), it comes off as more of a collection of one-off magazine articles about the man and his exploits. Which, given the author's background and the book's lack of footnotes, it just may be.

There is no consistent timeline in the book. In fact, paragraphs and chapters bounce freely from current to future to past events with confusing regularity. There is an annoying, even unnerving amount of repetition and a decent amount of conflicting information - sometimes in the same paragraph.

The appendix and bibliography are extensive and give hope for those who wish to follow up on Halley - thank goodness.

[Willem Boelhouwer · Rating 3 out of 5]

What could’ve been a delightful mix of story, science, narrative and academicia, fails at the weaving of the two. After finishing Halley’s voyages in the first half of the book, the remainer is a well researched collage of various points in his life, with little regard for chronology. There are times where Halley speaks to us from the pages and others where we’re left wondering where in the hell the numerous opinion (or sometime almost seemingly factual) statements came from. Very well researched, very poorly executed and edited

[Ron Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read this yet, but I have met the author (and I have a signed first edition!)...and if this book is as good as Julie Wakefield is charming and beautiful, it is destined to become a classic!

[Doug Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone knows about the comet but probably not many know of his contribution to the longitude-at-sea problem. I didn't.