About Time: A History of Civilization in Twelve Clocks

10.99 JOD

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Description

‘An utterly dazzling book, the best piece of history I have read for a long time’ Jerry Brotton, author of A History of the World in Twelve Maps’Not merely an horologist’s delight, but an ingenious meditation on the nature and symbolism of time-keeping itself’ Richard HolmesThe measurement of time has always been essential to human civilization, from early Roman sundials to the advent of GPS. But while we have one eye on the time every day, are we aware of the power clocks have given governments, military leaders and business owners, and how they have shaped our lives and our world?In this spectacularly far-reaching book, David Rooney narrates a history of timekeeping and civilization in twelve concise chapters. Over their course, we meet the most epochal inventions in horological history, from medieval water clocks to Renaissance hourglasses, and from stock-exchange timestamps to satellites in Earth’s orbit. We discover how clocks have helped people navigate the globe and build empires, but also, on occasion, taken us to the brink of destruction.This is the story of time, and the story of time is the story of us.

Additional information

Weight 0.234 kg
Dimensions 2 × 12.9 × 19.8 cm
by

format

Language

Pages

336

publisher

Year Published

2022-2-3

Imprint

Publication City/Country

London, United Kingdom

ISBN 10

0241370515

'About Time is an utterly dazzling book, the best piece of history I have read for a long time. From sundials in ancient Rome to astronomical, water-driven, mechanical and atomic timepieces used throughout history and across cultures, Rooney has written the definitive book on these remarkable objects that give order to everyday life. It is a moving and beautifully written book that even takes us 5,000 years into the future with plutonium clocks ticking away beneath our feet. There will be many puns about this as a timely book; in fact, it is timeless'

Other text

'Not merely an horologist's delight, but an ingenious meditation on the nature and symbolism of time-keeping itself. From the medieval hourglass to the Doomsday Clock, from Jaipur to Jodrell Bank, from GMT to GPS, Rooney ticks off time in a highly entertaining series of historical tales and parables which also give pause for thought and sometimes alarming reflections. I will never hear the pips, or ask 'what's the time?' in quite the same way again. A striking success'

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