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The Hidden History of Measurement from Cubits to Quantum Constants
by James Vincent
A vibrant account of how measurement has invisibly shaped our world, from ancient civilizations to the modern day.
From the cubit to the kilogram, the humble inch to the speed of light, measurement is a powerful tool that humans invented to make sense of the world. In this revelatory work of science and social history, James Vincent dives into its hidden world, taking readers from ancient Egypt, where measuring the annual depth of the Nile was an essential task, to the intellectual origins of the metric system in the French Revolution, and from the surprisingly animated rivalry between metric and imperial, to our current age of the "quantified self." At every turn, Vincent is keenly attuned to the political consequences of measurement, exploring how it has also been used as a tool for oppression and control.
Beyond Measure reveals how measurement is not only deeply entwined with our experience of the world, but also how its history encompasses and shapes the human quest for knowledge.
20 black-and-white illustrations
"Vincent, a senior reporter at the Verge, debuts with a phenomenal exploration of measurement, the 'cornerstone of cognition' that 'has not only made the world we live in, it has made us too'...fascinating...Amusing anecdotes abound...This one shouldn't be missed." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"An engaging book written with intelligence, self-awareness, and wit." - Kirkus Reviews
"A wildly ambitious book by a formidably talented young writer." - Robert Macfarlane, bestselling author of Underland
"Beyond Measure offers, with much intellectual flair and style, a bracing new history." - Pankaj Mishra, bestselling author of From the Ruins of Empire
"The exact value of this book is hard to quantify. Weighty, precise and satisfyingly obsessive, it's also an absolute pleasure to read." - Simon Garfield, bestselling author of The Timekeepers and Just My Type
"Vivid, epic, and full of curiosities. This is a book to delight and fascinate." - Tim Harford, author of How to Make the World Add Up
This information about Beyond Measure was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
James Vincent is a senior reporter for the Verge, the Vox Media site devoted to technology and society. He has also written for the London Review of Books, Financial Times, and Wired. He lives in London.
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