Latitude: The astonishing adventure that shaped the world
May 2021 · Penguin UK
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288
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About this ebook
Told for the very first time, this is the true story of the adventure that shaped the world . . .
'A thrilling story of courage, survival and science. It's an extraordinary, visceral and vivid read' Geographical Magazine
________
Three hundred years ago no one knew the true shape of the world.
It wasn't a sphere - but did it bulge at the equator or was it pointed at the poles? Until we found out no map could ever be truly accurate. So a team of scientists was sent to South America - to measure one full degree of latitude.
But South America was a land of erupting volcanoes, sodden rainforests, earthquakes, deadly diseases, tropical storms and violent unrest. And the misfit scientists had an unfortunate tendency to squander funds, fight duels, stumble into mutinies or die horribly.
The tale of their ten-year odyssey of exploration, discovery, flirtations with failure and ultimate triumph becomes in Nicholas Crane's hands the greatest scientific adventure story ever told.
________
'Pace, rigour and attention to enticing detail . . . Crane has a rare knack for showing people things without them having to get out of their chair' Joe Smith, director of The Royal Geographic society
'A thrilling story of courage, survival and science. It's an extraordinary, visceral and vivid read' Geographical Magazine
________
Three hundred years ago no one knew the true shape of the world.
It wasn't a sphere - but did it bulge at the equator or was it pointed at the poles? Until we found out no map could ever be truly accurate. So a team of scientists was sent to South America - to measure one full degree of latitude.
But South America was a land of erupting volcanoes, sodden rainforests, earthquakes, deadly diseases, tropical storms and violent unrest. And the misfit scientists had an unfortunate tendency to squander funds, fight duels, stumble into mutinies or die horribly.
The tale of their ten-year odyssey of exploration, discovery, flirtations with failure and ultimate triumph becomes in Nicholas Crane's hands the greatest scientific adventure story ever told.
________
'Pace, rigour and attention to enticing detail . . . Crane has a rare knack for showing people things without them having to get out of their chair' Joe Smith, director of The Royal Geographic society
About the author
Nicholas Crane was born in seaside Hastings, grew up in rural Norfolk and learned winter mountaineering in snowy Scotland. Between 2015 and 2018, he was president of the Royal Geographical Society. He is an award-winning writer and geographer who is well-known for his television work as lead presenter for BAFTA winning series Coast, Great British Journeys, Map Man, Britannia and Town. He is the author of more than ten books that include: Clear Waters Rising, Two Degrees West, Mercator: The Man Who Mapped the Planet, The Making of the British Landscape and You Are Here, A Brief Guide to the World. He has written for The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and The Sunday Times. Nick has travelled in all seven of the world's continents. With his cousin, Dr Richard Crane, he identified and visited for the first time the geographical Pole of Inaccessibility, the point on the globe most distant from the open sea. He lives in London.
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