"This expertly written and eminently enjoyable chronicle is highly recommended for history and history of science collections." —Library Journal
"Make room on the library shelf for the never-before-told saga of the survey that converted the vast wilderness west of the Ohio River into a commodity marked out for government sale." —Booklist, Starred Review
How we ultimately gained the American Customary System-the last traditional system in the world-and how Gunter's chain indelibly imprinted its dimensions on the land, on cities, and on our culture from coast to coast is both an exciting human and intellectual drama and one of the great untold stories in American history. Sagely argued and beautifully written, Measuring America offers readers nothing less than the opportunity to see America's history-and our democracy-in a brilliant new light.
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"A very solid study of surveying and geodysy in the American experience, with special emphasis on several seminal figures. Linklater gets a bit whiny about the metric system in the last chapter, but that is the only important defect."
— David (4 out of 5 stars)
" As boring as it sounds. "
— Mike, 1/6/2014" Starts slow, but turns out to be a somewhat interesting look at how America turned into a country of square miles. "
— Bob, 12/7/2013" A must read for anyone who loves geography. Tells the intertwining tale of the failed attempt to develope a decimalized system of measurement in america and the surveying and sale of public lands in America. "
— Matthew, 11/30/2013" I think this book is great, it gives you a lot of history information. "
— Alda, 11/22/2013" I learned quite a lot about the metric system from this book, which was not something I expected. However, my wish to learn more about the surveying of the western U.S. (starting in East Liverpool, Ohio) was fulfilled and I learned about a lot of interesting characters along the way. "
— Nikki, 12/5/2012" on the territorial expansion of the United States. "
— Oswald, 8/27/2012" A fun book, if a little unfocused. I feel like I would have enjoyed this more if I had grown up or lived in the Northwest Territories or mid-west in general. Since I am very much a New Englander, I just don't see the effect of these land survels on my land. "
— Christopher, 2/23/2012" Fascinating book. It is hard to imagine how innacurate measurements of everything were until the 1800's "
— Paul, 2/2/2012" Interesting and unique topic that is certainly very informative. The dominant weakness is not one of structure or scholarship, but the simple fact that measuring land can only be injected with so much flair. Still, it is worth having on the bookshelf. "
— Joe, 12/28/2011" One of my all time favorites. Very interesting take on how the US grew after the Revoluntionary War. "
— Marsha, 6/4/2011" More precisely, it was a history of weights and measures in Europe and America. "
— Patrick, 5/3/2011" Fantastic well balanced history of the land purchase in America. A different way to look at American history. "
— Tyler, 12/27/2009" I loved the history of weights and measurements. Also learned extensively about Gunter's chain. I did find myself drifting in this audio book since it is very geeky and science based. You have to be into the concept of land surveying to finish this one. "
— Kerry, 9/28/2009" Fun, readable, informative. "
— John, 8/29/2009" on the territorial expansion of the United States. "
— Oswald, 5/10/2009" More precisely, it was a history of weights and measures in Europe and America. "
— Patrick, 2/10/2009" Starts slow, but turns out to be a somewhat interesting look at how America turned into a country of square miles. "
— Bob, 12/12/2008" Fascinating book. It is hard to imagine how innacurate measurements of everything were until the 1800's "
— Paul, 11/7/2008" Fantastic well balanced history of the land purchase in America. A different way to look at American history. "
— Tyler, 7/14/2008" A fun book, if a little unfocused. I feel like I would have enjoyed this more if I had grown up or lived in the Northwest Territories or mid-west in general. Since I am very much a New Englander, I just don't see the effect of these land survels on my land. "
— Christopher, 4/10/2008" Interesting and unique topic that is certainly very informative. The dominant weakness is not one of structure or scholarship, but the simple fact that measuring land can only be injected with so much flair. Still, it is worth having on the bookshelf. "
— Joe, 3/30/2008" I learned quite a lot about the metric system from this book, which was not something I expected. However, my wish to learn more about the surveying of the western U.S. (starting in East Liverpool, Ohio) was fulfilled and I learned about a lot of interesting characters along the way. "
— Nikki, 1/10/2008" A must read for anyone who loves geography. Tells the intertwining tale of the failed attempt to develope a decimalized system of measurement in america and the surveying and sale of public lands in America. <br/> "
— Matthew, 1/9/2008Andro Linklater was born in Scotland and educated at Oxford University where he studied history. For several years he lived in the United States, working variously in politics and the arts, but returned to Britain to teach in Scotland and London. For the past twenty years he has been a full-time writer and journalist. Assignments have taken him to many parts of the world including Patagonia, the South Pacific, and the Arctic Circle. He has written frequently on science and technology, notably a major report on Chernobyl for Telegraph Magazine and an early investigation of genetic engineering for Reader’s Digest.
Alan Sklar, a graduate of Dartmouth, has excelled in his career as a freelance voice actor. Named a Best Voice of 2009 by AudioFile magazine, his work has earned him several Earphones Awards, a Booklist Editors’ Choice Award (twice), a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award, and Audiobook of the Year by ForeWord magazine. He has also narrated thousands of corporate videos for clients such as NASA, Sikorsky Aircraft, IBM, Dannon, Pfizer, AT&T, and SONY.