The Longitude Prize

Dash, Joan. The Longitude Prize.  Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York: 2000. 200 pages. Tr. $16.00 ISBN 0374346364

Annotation

The Longitude Prize is the story of John Harrison, the man who accomplished the seemingly impossibility of calculating longitude in the eighteenth century. 

Review

Joan Dash’s The Longitude Prize recounts the life of Englishman John Harrison who spent the greater part of his life attempting to perfect a sea clock which would allow sailors to determine their longitude when on the open ocean.  In the 1700’s clocks were still hard to come by and difficult to construct, which is why it is all the more amazing that Harrison taught himself to construct clocks and highly accurate clocks at that.  Dash explains that one way sailors calculated longitude in the eighteenth century was by using time.  However, clocks depended on a balanced pendulum to keep accurate time and the pitch of a ship would through off the balance of a clock, making it impossible to accurately tell time while at sea.  Calculating longitude was of such importance that British Parliament formed the Longitude Board who offered a prize to anyone who could come up with an accurate method of calculating longitude at sea.  After designing highly accurate clocks on land, Harrison made it his life’s mission to develop a sea clock which would allow sailors to calculate their longitude.  Though the Longitude Board never officially recognized his achievement and it took the better part of his life to perfect, Harrison did indeed succeed in creating such a clock.

Awards/Honors

ALSC Notable Book 2001

Sibert Honor Book 2001

Front and Back Matter

TOC, Afterword, Glossary, Timeline, Bibliography, Index

Author’s Website

None