Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time Audiobook

" I *wish* the reader wouldn't keep saying longTitude! "

" This book was very informative about one problem that we don't really pay attention to any more. "

" It took me a while to get around to this book but I am glad that I did. A great story of innate talent and tenacity. I would have liked more flesh on the bones of Harrison's character but the author did a fine job of telling a great forgotten story. "

" Quick read. Very informative. As a naval officer, I never realized how difficult fixing your position was before time could be accurately kept at sea. Furthermore, I did not realize this concept is less than 250 years old. "

" The lack of longitude accuracy caused all kinds of problems that our GPS-enabled world can't fathom. This was an interesting tale of the centuries of science and mechanics needed to solve it. "

" Who would have guessed that such a seemingly boring topic could be written about so compellingly!? I could not believe how caught up I got in this story - I mean, I'm seriously not interested in Math or Science or Clocks or Maps. Maybe one shouldn't judge a book by it's cover or it's title! "

" Totally interesting from a historical point of view. I had no idea that longitude was such a desired and jealously sought after knowledge. "

" I had to break up the fiction, and this was fascinating. "

" A well written book with friendly depth of research. Quick, interesting but not as engaging as one would imagine from a "New York Times Best Seller." "

" Read this 10 years ago on a recommendation and loved it! "

" Fairly quick read, 175 pages or so, of interesting history. I have always wondered how seamen found their way across an ocean and now I know. This book does not contain lots of technical information but is written as if it were an after dinner discussion. Increased knowledge but not boringly so.. "

" Interesting book both in regards to how the longitude problem was solved and in how "politics" gets in the was of progress. "

" I couldn't put this book down, it is a wonderful story and well written as this subject could easily have slipped into some dull history lesson. "

" Excellent book. In this age of GPS and Google Maps it's easy to forget how hazardous travel was just a few hundred years ago. Dava Sobel shows how important and difficult it was to find the key to longitude. "

" My favorite genre: Takes a scientific discovery and details not only the discovery but also its historical and political context. "

" Who knew the longitude problem was so difficult. We take for granted these days things that were very difficult for navigators in ships long ago. It was interesting to see how many different strategies were tried, and how long it took to find a solution to navigating by longitude. "

" Read about 80% and I'm just not feeling it. Interesting subject matter, but it's a slow read. It felt like the race to discover a lunar method for determining the longitude was happening in real time. "

" Best book of all time! "

" Adored this, though not nearly as much as Sobel's "Galileo's Daughter, " which is still no faint praise. "

" This veers a bit further in the direction of hero-worship than I like--get a load of that title!--but the author does an excellent job of explaining the huge importance of accurate longitude determinations for navigation (and cartography). It's an easy, enjoyable read. "

" Very enjoyable! Another British story of a genius whose science isn't accepted by the establishment. Sobel's book is full of interesting details about the solution of an ancient problem. "

" Something I have never thought about...the importance of the pocket watch. I was also fascinated to learn how we ended up with Greenwich time because of Harrison's archnemesis Maskelyne. It is a quick read, but well worth the effort. "

" I wish I had read this before I visited Greenwich when we were in London last year. That said, I have to admit that I'm proud we spent so long in the museum and actually purchased the book there. "

" This book is great, really interesting and worth reading about something that was such an important discovery! "

" What a fascinating book. I was quite amazed, and with how things work today, would have never thought what a big problem Longitude was. It not only informative, but fascinating. "

" The potential for a dry linear telling of the story is well avoided, but it did feel that the story was drawn out further than necessary. "

" Great subject and the author was wise to move the story along quickly - many of these extended New Yorker article type books have grown a little too epic in recent years "

" Well written and informative not boring. The subject matter was a little unusual. Just a small niche of history. "

" I read it on an airplane yesterday, and arrived at my destination feeling like I'd learned something. "

" Read this with Eco's Island of the Day Before "

" It took me a while to get around to this book but I am glad that I did. A great story of innate talent and tenacity. I would have liked more flesh on the bones of Harrison's character but the author did a fine job of telling a great forgotten story. "

" This book was very informative about one problem that we don't really pay attention to any more. "

" For such a slim volume, Sobel covers a vast quantity of scientific history. I actually use the information I learned from this book nearly every day, and Sobel compellingly tells the story of the invention of sea-faring navigation. "

" If you have any interest at all in historical non-fiction, rivalries, inventions, or science at all I have to highly recommend this book. "

" Good story on an aspect of knowledge we take for granted. "

" I really enjoyed this book. I respect sea travel more after reading this. John Harrison is a real hero. "