The untold story of the religious figures, philosophers, astronomers, geologists, physicists, and mathematicians who, for more than four hundred years, have pursued the answer to a fundamental question at the intersection of science and religion: When did the universe begin?

The moment of the universe's conception is one of science's Holy Grails, investigated by some of the most brilliant and inquisitive minds across the ages. Few were more committed than Bishop James Ussher, who lost his sight during the fifty years it took him to compose his Annals of all known history, now famous only for one date: 4004 b.c. Ussher's date for the creation of the world was spectacularly inaccurate, but that didn't stop it from being so widely accepted that it was printed in early twentieth-century Bibles. As writer and documentary filmmaker Martin Gorst vividly illustrates in this captivating, character-driven narrative, theology let Ussher down just as it had thwarted Theophilus of Antioch and many before him. Geology was next to fail the test of time. In the eighteenth century, naturalist Comte de Buffon, working out the rate at which the earth was supposed to have cooled, came up with an age of 74,832 years, even though he suspected this was far too low. Biology then had a go in the hands of fossil hunter Johann Scheuchzer, who alleged to have found a specimen of a man drowned at the time of Noah's flood. Regrettably it was only the imprint of a large salamander.

And so science inched forward via Darwinism, thermodynamics, radioactivity, and, most recently, the astronomers at the controls of the Hubble space telescope, who put the beginning of time at 13.4 billion years ago (give or take a billion). Taking the reader into the laboratories and salons of scholars and scientists, visionaries and eccentrics, Measuring Eternity is an engagingly written account of an epic, often quixotic quest, of how individuals who dedicated their lives to solving an enduring mystery advanced our knowledge of the universe.

About the Author

Martin Gorst is a writer and director of science documentaries for, among others Britian’s Channel 4 and the Discovery Channel. He lives in England.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

Online sellers of rare, out-of-print and used books, prints, maps and ephemera for 30 years

Visit Seller's Storefront

Seller's business information

Dorley House Books, Inc.
155 Cumberland St., P.O. Box 138, Clear Spring, MD, 21722, U.S.A.

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

Please email any questions to us. CWO. Photos/scans available on request for books, prints and maps over $15.00. All books are returnable within thirty days if returned in the same condition as sent& with good reason. We prefer checks, money orders, or Paypal. All items subject to prior sale.We are a PC, 100% owned by Sandra & Jeffrey Inskeep-Fox

Shipping Terms

Domestic Media Mail is $4.85, Priority $7.3. Canadian orders add $8.00. To other locations, global priority $25 for flat rate envelopes. Orders over $45.00 must be insured at buyer's expense, others can be insured if requested and at buyer's expense. Orders usually ship within 2 business days. Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required. Please note that there is no longer an economy surface shipping to overseas locations.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.
Order quantity	5 to 20 business days	3 to 6 business days
First item	US$ 8.65	US$ 13.50

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.