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

This 1998 book combines the best features of two complementary books of 1995. Both earlier books are by expert science writers, historians of the centuries long search for a practical method for determining longitude at sea. A successful solution would prevent ships lost at sea from running aground or adding weeks to their voyages as their crews sickened and died of scurvy and other diseases. ***

As I understand it, the collaborative 1998 THE ILLUSTRATED LONGITUDE repeats verbatim the unillustrated 1995 text LONGITUDE by Dava Sobel. At the same time it is enlarged by illustrations and side panels explaining those illustrations supplied by William J. H. Andrewes. Andrewes's book reported on the three days of a Longitude symposium. Its complete title: The Quest for Longitude: The Proceedings of the Longitude Symposium Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts November 4-6, 1993 [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover). The two authors then collaborated to produce THE ILLUSTRATED LONGITUDE: THE TRUE STORY OF A LONE GENIUS WHO SOLVED THE GREATEST SCIENTIFIC PROBLEM OF HIS TIME. ***

That lone genius, hero of THE ILLUSTRATED LONGITUDE, was carpenter turned choir master turned master watch inventor John Harrison (1693 - 1776). "A story that hails a hero must also hiss at a villain -- in this case, the Reverend Nevil Maskelyne, remembered by history as 'the seaman's astronomer'(Ch. 11, p.188). So far as I can tell from the book, both Harrison and Maskelyne by the mid 1760s had come up with practical but competing methods for calculating longitude (east-west distance from a fixed point). Their methods were different. Maskelyne represented a long line of astronomers including Galileo, Brahe and others and mathematician/physicists like Isaac Newton. The scientists all worked, in very large numbers, toward a method of calculating longitude through measuring angular distances between heavenly bodies, especially the moon. They also built up over decades the accurate sky charts needed for simple sailors to do the needed calculations. Maskelyne claimed to have reduced the calculation time from four hours to 30 minutes. By contrast, John Harrison, later aided by son William, built in virtual isolation "chronometers," first large sea going clocks then much smaller watches. ***

Both Harrison and Maskelyne's methods were more or less rigorously tested. There was a 10,000 pounds sterling prize at stake and both men badly wanted to win. The cards were clearly stacked, however, in favor of Maskelyne, representing University educated mathematicians and astronomers everywhere. His method was perfectly clear and easily explained to the learned. But father and son Harrison were self-taught men of humble origin. They were secretive. They did not want to share their ideas unless paid for them. Both men were, however, invited to join the prestigious Royal Society. John declined. William accepted. ***

The book's portraits, maps, photos and diagrams of clocks, sky charts and such are stunning. They alone make THE ILLUSTRATED LONGITUDE an adornment for the most discriminating coffee table. And Dava Sobel's clear prose is justly praised from its first edition onward. THE ILLUSTRATED LONGITUDE is a quick stroll through late medieval and early modern mathematics, astronomy and navigation. Without knowing longitude (the magnetic compass had greatly helped master latitude centuries earlier), ship masters were sailing blind, often with disastrous results. This is a book well worth reading and losing your self in among the illustrations. -OOO-