Sea Clocks: The Story of Longitude

By Louise Borden Illustrated by Erik Blegvad

Warning! The cover alone will stir wanderlust in even the most devote homebody. The adventure begins with its navy-blue end pages, and continues with detailed illustrations, a compelling storyline and historical content. Sea Clocks is one of those books that will make your heart skip a beat while holding it. You’ll feel the craftsmanship that went into its construction.

Did you know seamen were using latitude long before they could use longitude properly? It’s not that they didn’t understand it. Captains were able to figure out the longitude if they knew two things: what the local ship time was and what time it was at home port. The first was easy enough to decipher by reading the stars, the later not so much because timepieces of that era were not able to withstand the elements of the sea. As a result, ships often became lost and were vulnerable to pirates.

The English Parliament voted to award 20,000 pounds sterling to whoever could solve what they considered the biggest scientific challenge of their time. The best Astronomers, (including Edmond Halley), mathematicians, and scholars were not able to figure it out. So, how did John Harrison, a humble clockmaker do it?

Not only will your child gain an understating of latitude and longitude, but of perseverance as they follow Harrison on his lifelong journey.

Don’t miss out on this treasure of a book and make time for Sea Clocks.