The Riddle of the Compass: The Invention that Changed the World

Aczel, Amir D.

ISBN 10: 0156007533 / ISBN 13: 9780156007535

Published by Mariner Books, 2002

About this Item

Books may contain some notes and highlighting. Supplements such as Access Codes, Cd's Dust Jackets, etc. are not guaranteed with used book purchases.

Seller Inventory # EVV.0156007533.G

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Riddle of the Compass: The Invention that Changed the World
• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0156007533
• ISBN 13: 9780156007535
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: good

About this title

Synopsis

The story of the compass is shrouded in mystery and myth, yet most will agree it begins around the time of the birth of Christ in ancient China. A mysterious lodestone whose powers affected metal was known to the Chinese emperor. When this piece of metal was suspended in water, it always pointed north. This unexplainable occurrence led to the stone's use in feng shui, the Chinese art of finding the right location. However, it was the Italians, more than a thousand years later, who discovered the ultimate destiny of the lodestone and unleashed its formidable powers. In Amalfi sometime in the twelfth century, the compass was born, crowning the Italians as the new rulers of the seas and heralding the onset of the modern world. Retracing the roots of the compass and sharing the fascinating story of navigation through the ages, The Riddle of the Compass is Aczel at his most entertaining and insightful.

About the Author

Amir D. Aczel, Ph.D. grew up on a ship and was navigating straits in the Mediterranean long before he could drive a car. The author of Fermat's Last Theorem, God's Equation, The Mystery of the Aleph, and Probability 1, he lives with his wife and daughter in the Boston area and teaches at Bentley College.