- Hardcover: 480 pages
- Publisher: Little, Brown; First Edition edition (12 Sep 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0316859893
- ISBN-13: 978-0316859899
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 13.6 x 4.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 549,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
all the pace and plot of a historical adventure novel, as though Longitude had been crossed with A Tale of Two Cities, with a measure of Don Quixote thrown in (The Sunday TIMES )
riveting account of the origins of the metric system... an eye-opener (The DAILY TELEGRAPH )
riveting account of the origins of the metric system... an eye-opener (The DAILY TELEGRAPH )
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, 7/9/02
'riveting account of the origins of the metric system... an eye-opener'
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First Sentence
The countryside was strangely silent, the roads deserted. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The countryside was strangely silent, the roads deserted. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Of all dreary ideas for a book, the history of the meter might seem to be a sure no-go for any publisher. Instead, this book gives an in-depth portrait of the men measuring France and parts of Spain, in order to find a value for the meter that would stand the test of time. (It didn't, of course, but that's another story.)
Among other things we get to understand the arguments for a common measure of all things, why the meter was so important - and why it was rejected, again and again, even in France.
We also slowly get to understand the nature of error in scientific work, for a non-scientist like me this was very interesting.
Some parts of the book could, in my opinion, have been shortened down a little bit, hence the missing 5th star.
All in all, enjoyable and recommendable!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is my personal n° 1 book of the year 2003 and a real masterpiece. Not only does the author give us insight into the various historical and political backgrounds against which the various and innumerable local weights and measures of the Ancien Régime were replaced by "one measure and one weight" (and how long it took before most countries of the world, except the U.S.A. of course, adopted this new set of weights and measures). We also learn that the attempt of the French scientists Delambre and Méchain to determine the exact lenght of the metre gave the world one of the best examples of why "science is error" and the book therefor is also an introduction to modern scientific concepts such as "uncertainty" and "indeterminism".
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The book is a lovely account of how two French savants from the late eighteenth century measured the meridian in order to establish the meter as the standard measure, for all people, for all time, and why it was so necessary from the economical, social and political points of view to fulfill this mission. It is wonderfully written, and has certainly made me a staunch supporter of the metric revolution, which has been and will continue to be unstopable, whatever the Americans say.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Perfect combination of science and history
This is a great book and a perfect combination of science and history. It was difficult to put down and I learnt a lot of stuff too. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Dr. John P. Yardley
A scientific fraud which lives on
Scientific fraud ranges from acts which surely should be criminal to minor rule-bending which can be viewed with indulgence. Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2009 by Metropolitan Critic
Perfect scientific drama
Fate, war, envy, fraud, suffering and human drama - these are things that do not immediately spring to mind when discussing the history of geodesy. Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2008 by Christian Jongeneel
Science is not just discovery - more of a journey
The sub-title of this book is ‘The Seven Year Odyssey that Transformed The World’. This journey is both geographical and intellectual, with the very practical aim of... Read more
Published on 25 Mar 2004 by Mr P R Morgan
Science is not just discovery - more of a journey
The sub-title of this book is 'The Seven Year Odyssey that Transformed The World'. This journey is both geographical and intellectual, with the very practical aim of creating a... Read more
Published on 24 Mar 2004 by Mr P R Morgan
Science is not about discovery - more of a journey
The sub-title of this book is ‘The Seven Year Odyssey that Transformed The World’. This journey is both geographical and intellectual, with the very practical aim of... Read more
Published on 24 Mar 2004 by Mr P R Morgan
A passion for precision
Except for Australia, the metric system remains a mystique for the English-speaking world. It's "foreign" or "the screws don't fit" or some other phrase that distances it from what... Read more
Published on 21 Mar 2004 by Stephen A. Haines
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