The Great Arc: The Dramatic Tale of How India Was Mapped and Everest Was Named

Keay, John

ISBN 10: 0060932953 / ISBN 13: 9780060932954

Published by Harper Perennial, 2001

About this Item

The Great Indian Arc of the Meridian, begun in 1800, was the longest measurement of the earth's surface ever to have been attempted. Its 1,600 miles of inch-perfect survey took nearly 50 years. Hailed as "one of the most stupendous works in the history of science," it was also one of the most perilous. Snowy mountains and tropical jungles, floods and fevers, tigers and scorpions all took their toll on the band of surveyors as they crossed the Indian subcontinent carrying instruments weighing half a ton. William Lambron, an endearing genius, had conceived the idea; George Everest, an impossible martinet, completed it. This saga of astounding adventure and gigantic personalities not only resulted in the accurate measurements of the highest peak in the world but defined India as we know it and significantly advanced our scientific understanding of the planet. There is light tanning throughout the book.

Seller Inventory # 953

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Great Arc: The Dramatic Tale of How India Was Mapped and Everest Was Named
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication Date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060932953
• ISBN 13: 9780060932954
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
• Seller catalogs:
  • Science
  • History

About this title

Synopsis

Chronicles the nineteenth-century undertaking to accurately measure the earth's surface by following a meridian, or longitudinal arc, from the southern tip of India through the Himalayas, a harrowing journey that also culminated in the discovery of Mount Everest. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.

About the Author

John Keay is the author of four acclaimed histories: The Honourable Company, about teh East India Company; Last Post, about imperical disengagement in the Far East; the two-volume Explorers of the Western Himalayas; and most recently, India: A History. His other books include India Discovered and Into India. John Keay is married with four children, lives in Scotland and is co-editor with Julia Keay of the Collins Encyclopedia of Scotland.