Revolution in time: Clocks and the making of the modern world - Hardcover

Landes, David S

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0760710740 ISBN 13: 9780760710746

Publisher: Barnes & Noble Books, 1998

Synopsis

Imagine a world without clocks. The only descriptive word is primitive. In an age of to-the-second timing, it's easy to forget that until the 14th century sundials and waterclocks were the only semi-scientific way of keeping time. No general could say, "Synchronize your sundials." No herald could proclaim the hour beyond the range of his own voice and the accuracy of his own guess. This massivetribute to time, the ultimate chronicle of chronology, is enhanced with many photographs. The history is engrossing: Once the principle was established, clockmakers outdid one another in producing lavish, complicated timepieces, many of which survive in museums. With a bright text that reads like fiction, the author traces development of clocks and watchmaking to the present day. Famous names all are here - Patek Philippe, Rolex, Audemars-Piguet, even Elgin and Bulova. With wit and knowledge, the author carries the tale into "The Quartz Revolution."

About this title

About the Author

David S. Landes is Coolidge Professor of History and Professor of Economics, Emeritus, Harvard University, and the author of The Wealth and Poverty of Nations.

Review

A wonderful book...It's richly detailed and illustrated, extremely informative, and thoroughly enjoyable. (Los Angeles Times Book Review)

David Landes is a splendid storyteller...The book abounds with anecdotes about people, not only those who made the clocks and watches but also those who bought and used them...Without doubt, this book will become a standard work in the history of timekeeping--and it's also fun to read. (Derek Howse Washington Post)

The text scintillates with wise and witty aphorisms...Landes notes that clocks are the product of 'ingenuity, craftsmanship, artistry and elegance': so is this book. (David Cannadine London Review of Books)

[Landes] has an eye for the odd, amusing detail and manages to convey a great enthusiasm for his subject...His book contains a wealth of piquant information that left me musing when I closed it. (Tracy Kidder New York Times Book Review)

Stunning...Revolution in Time fairly radiates the author's own delight. Like the classic clocks it so lovingly describes, it is an exhilarating monument to human ingenuity. (Jim Miller Newsweek)

The book is a pleasure to read, for the quality of the author's thinking, for the slightly acid perceptiveness of his observations, and for the often enchanting aptness of his quotations and examples. (E. J. Hobsbawm New York Review of Books)

Edition details

• Publisher: Barnes & Noble Books
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0760710740
• ISBN 13: 9780760710746
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 482