A tale of eighteenth-century invention and competition, commerce and conflict, this is a lively, illustrated, and accurate chronicle of the search to solve “the longitude problem,” the question of how to determine a ship’s position at sea—and one that changed the history of mankind.
Ships, Clocks, and Stars brings into focus one of our greatest scientific stories: the search to accurately measure a ship’s position at sea. The incredible, illustrated volume reveals why longitude mattered to seafaring nations, illuminates the various solutions that were proposed and tested, and explores the invention that revolutionized human history and the man behind it, John Harrison. Here, too, are the voyages of Captain Cook that put these revolutionary navigational methods to the test.
Filled with astronomers, inventors, politicians, seamen, and satirists, Ships, Clocks, and Stars explores the scientific, political, and commercial battles of the age, as well as the sailors, ships, and voyages that made it legend—from Matthew Flinders and George Vancouver to the voyages of the Bounty and the Beagle.
Featuring more than 150 photographs specially commissioned from Britain’s National Maritime Museum, this evocative, detailed, and thoroughly fascinating history brings this age of exploration and enlightenment vividly to life.

Ships, Clocks, and Stars: The Quest for Longitude

History

Higgitt, Rebekah

Dunn, Richard

Australia & Oceania

Harper

Recreating Newton: Newtonian Biography and the Making of Nineteenth-Century History of Science (Sci & Culture in the Nineteenth Century)

Higgitt examines Isaac Newton's changing legacy during the nineteenth century. She focuses on 1820–1870, a period that saw the creation of the specialized and secularized role of the "scientist." At the same time, researchers gained better access to Newton's archives. These were used both by those who wished to undermine the traditional, idealised depiction of scientific genius and those who felt obliged to defend Newtonian hagiography. Higgitt shows how debates about Newton's character stimulated historical scholarship and led to the development of a new expertise in the history of science.

Science & Math

History & Philosophy

University of Pittsburgh Press

The Board of Longitude: Science, Innovation and Empire

Schaffer, Simon

Baker, Alexi

Waring, Sophie

Cambridge University Press

A collection of the many biographies of scientist Isaac Newton, demonstrating the ways in which his reputation continued to develop in the centuries after his death. It includes private letters, poetry and memoranda, and explores the debate over Newton's reputation, work and personal life.

Early Biographies of Isaac Newton, 1660-1885 vol 1

Iliffe, Rob

Keynes, Milo

Biographies & Memoirs

Routledge

Early Biographies of Isaac Newton, 1660-1885 vol 2

Exploring distinctive practices in the artisanal, mercantile, and governmental sites of London, Metropolitan Science offers a new perspective on the development of a scientific culture between the years 1600-1800. Beginning with the demographics of London in the 17th and 18th centuries, including its attraction of migrants, importance as a centre of empire, and the role of its institutions in government, the authors analyse how and why London was a unique site of scientific activity. Through the use of case studies, such as the Tower of London's Royal Mint, and the Livery Company Halls, this book examines the city's sites of exchange for knowledge and practice, and highlights the importance of both public and private spaces. With exploration of London's military and colonial history, the authors acknowledge how its port and maritime trade were not only central to growth and protection, but also facilitated the organisation, assessment, valuation, and pursuit of knowledge in the city. Ultimately, this book demonstrates that London corporations produced unique knowledge communities that drew on networks across the city and beyond, and uses a variety of spatial and material approaches to reveal the use, representation, and exchange of practice in these collective settings.

Metropolitan Science: London Sites and Cultures of Knowledge and Practice, c. 1600-1800

Kilburn-Toppin, Jasmine

Moxham, Noah

Europe

Bloomsbury Academic

Professionals & Academics

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