Navigation: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Jim Bennett

ISBN 10: 0198733712 / ISBN 13: 9780198733713

Published by Oxford University Press, 2017

About this Item

Looking at the long history of navigation at sea, Jim Bennett discusses the scientific and technological developments that have enabled the accurate measurement of position and setting of directions in the oceans. Series: Very Short Introductions. Num Pages: 152 pages, 10 black and white illustrations. BIC Classification: HBTM; PDX; RGR; TRLN. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 113 x 174 x 12. Weight in Grams: 122. . 2017. 1st Edition. Paperback. . . . .

Seller Inventory # V9780198733713

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Navigation: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication Date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0198733712
• ISBN 13: 9780198733713
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

From the Bronze Age mariners of the Mediterranean to contemporary sailors using satellite-based technologies, the history of navigation at sea, the art of finding a position and setting a course, is fascinating. The scientific and technological developments that have enabled accurate measurements of position were central to exploration, trade, and the opening up of new continents, and the resulting journeys taken under their influence have had a profound influence on world history.

In this Very Short Introduction Jim Bennett looks at the history of navigation, starting with the distinctive cultures of navigation that are defined geographically - the Mediterranean Sea, and the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans. He shows how the adoption of mathematical methods, the use of instruments, the writing of textbooks and the publication of charts all combined to create a more standardized practice. Methods such as longitude-finding by chronometer and lunar distance were complemented by the routine business of recording courses and reckoning position 'by account'. Bennett also introduces the incredible array of instruments relied on by sailors, from astrolabes, sextants, and chronometers, to our more modern radio receivers, electronic equipment, and charts, and highlights the crucial role played by the individual qualities of endeavor and resourcefulness from mathematicians, scientists, and seamen in finding their way at sea. The story of navigation combines the societal, the technical, and the human, and it was vital for shaping the modern world.

About the Author

Jim Bennett is a historian of science who has held curatorial posts in national museums in London and in university museums in Cambridge and Oxford, where he was Director of the Museum of the History of Science. He has been President of the British Society for the History of Science and of the Scientific Instrument Commission of the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science. He is currently President of the Hakluyt Society. His books include The Divided Circle: a History of Instruments for Astronomy, Navigation, and Surveying (Phaidon-Christie's, 1987), and London's Leonardo: the life and work of Robert Hooke (OUP, 2003), with Michael Cooper, Michael Hunter, and Lisa Jardine.