The Riddle of the Compass: The Invention That Changed the World Hardcover - 2001
by Aczel, Amir D
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- first
Bestselling science writer Amir Aczel uncovers the fascinating story of the invention of the compass and its impact on the world.
Description
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Details
- Title The Riddle of the Compass: The Invention That Changed the World
- Author Aczel, Amir D
- Binding Hardcover
- Edition First Edition
- Condition Used - Very Good
- Pages 200
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, New York
- Date 2001-08-16
- Illustrated Yes
- Bookseller's Inventory # M3TROTC
- ISBN 9780151005062 / 0151005060
- Weight 0.82 lbs (0.37 kg)
- Dimensions 8.06 x 5.72 x 0.82 in (20.47 x 14.53 x 2.08 cm)
- Library of Congress subjects Compass
- Library of Congress Catalog Number 00047153
- Dewey Decimal Code 912.028
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Summary
Sometimes it pays to be in the right place at the right time. Certainly the mariners in Amalfi in the twelfth century were. Here the compass was first invented and used in navigation, eventually helping to make Italians the world's greatest sailors.
But the story of the compass is shrouded in mystery and myth. It begins in ancient China around the birth of Christ. A mysterious lodestone whose powers affected metal was known to the Emperor. This piece of metal suspended in water always pointed north and was put to excellent use in feng shui, the Chinese art of finding the right location. However, it was the Italians who unleashed the compass's formidable powers on ships at sea.
Throughout the ancient world, sailors navigated by wind, and stars, and the routes of migrating birds, but bad weather and winter storms impeded their travels. When the compass migrated to Italy, the modern world began: Venice, trade with the East, the Age of Discovery. The compass made it all possible, and this is its fascinating story.
But the story of the compass is shrouded in mystery and myth. It begins in ancient China around the birth of Christ. A mysterious lodestone whose powers affected metal was known to the Emperor. This piece of metal suspended in water always pointed north and was put to excellent use in feng shui, the Chinese art of finding the right location. However, it was the Italians who unleashed the compass's formidable powers on ships at sea.
Throughout the ancient world, sailors navigated by wind, and stars, and the routes of migrating birds, but bad weather and winter storms impeded their travels. When the compass migrated to Italy, the modern world began: Venice, trade with the East, the Age of Discovery. The compass made it all possible, and this is its fascinating story.
First line
I FIRST BECAME INTERESTED IN THE COMPASS WHEN I was a child.