Finding longitude : how clocks and stars helped solve the longitude problem / Richard Dunn, Rebekah Higgitt.

Published to accompany the exhibition held at the National Maritime Museum, London, June 2014.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Prologue: a world divided -- The problem -- The contenders -- On trial -- Making longitude work -- Working at sea -- Commerce and crrativity -- Defining the world.

Official publication of the National Maritime Museum's exhibition "Ships, Clocks and Stars: The Quest for Longitude". 300 years ago, amidst growing frustration from the naval community and pressure from the increasing importance of international trade, the British government passed the 1714 Longitude Act. It was an attempt to solve one of the most pressing problems of the age: how to determine a ship's longitude (east-west position) at sea. With life-changing rewards on offer, the challenge captured the imaginations and talents of astronomers, skilled craftsmen, politicians, seamen and satirists. This beautifully illustrated book is a detailed account of these stories, and how the longitude problem was solved. Finding Longitude tells a new story of one of the great achievements of the Georgian age, and how it changed our understanding of the world.

31560000035994 19251

A major scholarly, richly illustrated monograph on the technical and astronomical and navigation problem of determining the longitude at see. Also the 'catalog' of the exhibit of the same name produced and curated by the two authors at the Royal Museums Greenwich in 2014. 7 chapters, extensively illustrated, much of it in color. Extensive references and Index. Published concurrently in hardcover and paperback editions.