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The Riddle of the Compass: The Invention that Changed the World
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The Riddle of the Compass: The Invention that Changed the World Paperback - 2002

by Aczel, Amir D

  • Used

Description

Mariner Books. Used - Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
Used - Good
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Ships from Wonder Book (Maryland, United States)
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About Wonder Book Maryland, United States

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With 3 stores less than 1 hour outside the DC/Metropolitan area (1 in Gaithersburg, 1 in Frederick and 1 in Hagerstown, MD), we have the largest selection of books in the tri-state area. Wonder Book and Video has been in business since 1980 and online since 1997. We have over 1 Million books for sale on our website and another 1 Million books for sale in our 3 locations. We have a very active online inventory and as such, we can receive multiple orders for the same item. We fill those orders on a first come first serve basis, but will refund promptly any items that are out of stock. Since 1980 it has always been about the books. ALL kinds of books from 95 cent children\'s paperbacks to five figure rare and collectibles. A merging of the old and new is where we started, and it is where we are today. Our retail stores have always been places where a reader can rush in looking for a title needed for a term paper that is due the next day, or where bibliophiles can get lost \"in the stacks\" for as long as they wish. In 2002 USAToday recognized us as \"1 of 10 Great Old Bookstores\", and we have been featured in numerous other newspaper and TV stories including Washington Post and CSpan.

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Details

  • Title The Riddle of the Compass: The Invention that Changed the World
  • Author Aczel, Amir D
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Condition Used - Good
  • Pages 178
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Mariner Books, San Diego, CA
  • Date 2002-05-02
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Illustrated, Index, Maps, Table of Contents
  • Bookseller's Inventory # I02B-03667
  • ISBN 9780156007535 / 0156007533
  • Weight 0.45 lbs (0.20 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.5 in (20.57 x 13.72 x 1.27 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects Navigation - History, Compass
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 000047153
  • Dewey Decimal Code 912.028

Summary

The story of the compass is shrouded in mystery and myth, yet most will agree it begins around the time of the birth of Christ in ancient China. A mysterious lodestone whose powers affected metal was known to the Chinese emperor. When this piece of metal was suspended in water, it always pointed north. This unexplainable occurrence led to the stone's use in feng shui, the Chinese art of finding the right location. However, it was the Italians, more than a thousand years later, who discovered the ultimate destiny of the lodestone and unleashed its formidable powers. In Amalfi sometime in the twelfth century, the compass was born, crowning the Italians as the new rulers of the seas and heralding the onset of the modern world. Retracing the roots of the compass and sharing the fascinating story of navigation through the ages, The Riddle of the Compass is Aczel at his most entertaining and insightful.

First line

I FIRST BECAME INTERESTED IN THE COMPASS WHEN I was a child.

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Media reviews

PRAISE FOR THE RIDDLE OF THE COMPASS

"An uncommonly good book about an invention that--there's just no getting around it--changed the world."--Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post
"A compulsively readable investigation, as attracting as the magnetic north."--Kirkus Reviews

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