The General Rule: A Guide to Customary Weights and Measures - Softcover

Linacre, Vivian T.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1906069018 ISBN 13: 9781906069018

Publisher: The Squeeze Press, 2007

Synopsis

An essential collection of articles, tables and notes, to define and explain the modern uses and relationships - as well as the global origins, evolution and culture - of the units composing what became known as the Imperial System, but has since in practice become the universal Anglo-American system of customary measures. For use in the home, in schools, in government and public bodies, by trade, industry, the media and in countries overseas. For quick reference, occasional consultation, continual study or simply reading for pleasure.

About this title

Review

... beautifully written, great fun and a mine of useful and
interesting information. -- Jilly Cooper

Every opinion poll shows that the population of Britain
overwhelmingly prefers traditional measures, which continue to prevail in
the USA. But after thirty years of indoctrination, no handbook covering
the entire system was available. This book fills the gap. -- Property Magazine

Starkly political and and highly topical ... its real achievement
is to help demonstrate the absurdity of the policy pursued by successive
governments, to criminalise the use of traditional measures in favour of a
metric monopoly. -- The European Journal

Terrific ... refreshes our memory about the depth and richness of
a vital part of our cultural history.
-- Simon Heffer

Totally absorbing from first page to last ... the first
publication that explains the historical and cultural background to the
imperial system ... at once entertaining and educational. -- This England

From the Publisher

EVERY ARTICLE IS A MICRO-ESSAY. Here's a sample from 'Nautical Measures':
"In olden times, ships carried a supply of logs for the galley fire. The
speed of sailing was measured by heaving a log overboard, the time taken
for it to pass the stern providing the basis of calculation against the
known length of the ship. Readings were noted in a 'log-book'. This method
was improved by knotting the rope at intervals of 47ft 3.5ins and running
it out for 28 seconds (timed by a 28-second sand-glass) whereby it was
calculated that a speed of 1 'knot' = 6,080ft per hour, because 28 x 6,080/
3,600 = 47.29ft.

Edition details

• Publisher: The Squeeze Press
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1906069018
• ISBN 13: 9781906069018
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 168