Flat Earth: The History of an Infamous Idea [Unabridged] [Paperback]

Looking at the title one could be forgiven for thinking: Not very interesting, surely? After all nobody believes in it now. People in olden times used to think the world was flat, indeed the Church taught that, but Columbus proved the world was round, and with the development of modern scientific knowledge nobody can possibly hold to such an idea.
If you think that you would be wrong on all counts. This book not only shows this, it offers insights and understanding to anyone interested in the relationship between science and religion and how what we "know" can be shaped by personal factors we are unaware of.
As Garwood explains, the Ancients knew the world was round, and the Christian Church had no problem with the idea. Some figures in the early Church rejected the idea, apparently because it was part of the "pagan knowledge" they were turning their back on, but they were a minority. The idea that "the Church taught the Earth was flat" was promoted later by anti-religious writers pursuing their own agenda.
Similarly, those who opposed Columbus's proposed trip knew perfectly well the Earth was round; they were against it for sound reasons. In fact their ideas were closer to the truth than Columbus's, but he was very lucky. Again, the facts were misrepresented to suit later writers' agenda (putting down the Catholic Church and building up Columbus as a prototype for American "rugged individualism").
Flat-Earthism as a vocal pseudo-scientific movement actually arose in Nineteenth-Century England, whence it spread to the USA. It was established by fundamentalist Christians who were reacting to the advance of scientific knowledge, which they saw as a godless force or conspiracy aimed at destroying the Christian faith. In response they constructed a "Christian" model of the Universe based on scattered verses from the Bible.
Although its heyday was more than a century ago, Flat-Earthism still persists in that milieu inhabited by anti-scientists, conspiracy theorists, and fundamentalist "young Earth" Creationists. Such people tend to see themselves as blessed with a special insight and battling heroically against Godless or conspiratorial forces. Their reaction to the threatening modern unsettled and unsettling world is to build themselves a mental fort and inhabit it secure in their own beliefs and their willingness to face the enemies all around. They have retreated to "the old certainties" as a reaction to change in the world around them.Perhaps it is understandable if they see science and religion as fundamentally opposing forces rather than paths to understanding that deal with different aspects of human life.
This is a fascinating well-researched book. The author is never patronising or contemptuous of the Flat-Earthers, who are shown as real, sincere, people, while the issues are presented fairly and thoroughly (eprhaps a little too thoroughly in places, some skipping will aid the reading of certain passeages). I enjoyed it and recommend it.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this book for me was that as soon as I started to read the accounts of the nineteenth century flat-earthers I was immediately struck by the similarity between them and the modern day climate change deniers or those who believe that they can prove the moon landings were faked. So the story does have a lot of resonance today.

Overall I would say this book is well written, interesting and entertaining in parts but its main failing is that it is too long. It could easily be edited down to half its length without losing anything of importance.

Clearly a great deal of research has gone into this book, and Garwood deserves applause for it. The tale of stupidity and blind argument is told as any great story should be. My only issue with the book is the sheer amount of detail, which caused me to become distracted in places. Otherwise great!