Synopsis
Chronicles a visual journey through humanity's efforts to measure and quantify time, from watching the geese fly south for the winter to modern cosmology.
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Review
Einstein may have shown that space and time are parts of the same thing, but that doesn't help us understand either one. Science journalist John Langone teams up with National Geographic to present the past, present and future of our thinking about the so-called fourth dimension in The Mystery of Time. This oversized book combines eloquent descriptions of our long-failed attempts to grapple with the concept with sharp, often striking photographs of timepieces and timekeepers from around the world and far back in history. Langone can find elements of interest in even the most abstruse philosophical or scientific tract, and his reporting is full of stories like the invention of the astrolabe in the ancient world. He can be forgiven for ordering his book chronologically--after the overview of the concept, he regresses back to ancient notions and measurements before pulling the reader quickly forward through industrialisation to today's world of eighth-generation atomic clocks. While The Mystery of Time can't promise a thorough understanding of its subject (what can?), it does offer a glorious tour. --Rob Lightner
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The Mystery of Time: Humanity's Quest for Order and Measure
Published by
Natl Geographic Society, 2000
ISBN 10: 0792279115
ISBN 13: 9780792279112
Used
Hardcover
Seller: WeBuyBooks, Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read but remains in clean condition. All of the pages are intact and the cover is intact and the spine may show signs of wear. The book may have minor markings which are not specifically mentioned. No dust jacket. Seller Inventory # wbb0023463547
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The Mystery of Time - Humanity's Quest for Order and Measure
Seller: Barclay Books, York, WA, Australia
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardback. 2000. First edition. A near fine copy in padded blue boards with silver gilt lettering to the spine, silver gilt emblem to the front board and silver gilt edges. The boards have only very superficial wear and the contents are fine and unmarked. Seller Inventory # 10981113
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The Mystery Of Time - Humanity's Quest For Order And Measure
Published by
U.S.A / National Geographic, 2000
ISBN 10: 0792279115
ISBN 13: 9780792279112
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Bookenastics, Devon, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. No Jacket. We all know that time is the template with which we define our lives. We also know it is on our side, is up, and flies, especially when we're having fun. There are bath time and bedtime, good times and bad, an entire biblical catalogue from the book of Ecclesiastes. But what is it? Where did time come from and where does it go? The answer is as slippery as silverfish; it has eluded history's most magnificent minds. Langone invites the reader into the inquiry. We see our earliest ancestors observe the movement of herds, the shifting sky, and the cycles of budding and bloom. We marvel in the dark at Stonehenge and at a path of solstice sun inching over a Native American calendar glyph. This traces the story of humanity's struggle to come to terms with the concept of time. / This is a 1st edition hardback with laminated boards in fine condition. (256 pages). This is a heavy book nearly 1.5kg, so there will be an extra postage charge. Seller Inventory # 7614