 | An early astrolabe, its name derived from Greek words for "star" ($Iastron$I) and "to take" ($Ilambanein$I), was an instrument with which a navigator "took the stars" to determine a vessel's position in the great expanse of the sea. From the simple wooden $Ikamál$I developed by ancient Arab mariners to the modern navigator's electronic global positioning system, $ITaking the Stars: Celestial Navigation from
Argonauts to Astronauts$I traces the long path of ingenious inventions developed for celestial navigation. Renowned collector Peter Ifland applies his talent for clear, engaging prose to describe the incremental improvements, world-changing advances, and well-intentioned failures that have marked the evolution of celestial navigation instruments for over 1,000 years. Two panoramas converge in these lavishly illustrated pages. One is a parade of wonderful--and often, wonderfully
clever--devices for celestial navigation: among others, the $Ikamál$I, the cross-staff and back-staff, the astrolabe, and the marvelous variations on the divided celestial circle--the half-circle, quadrant, quintant, sextant, octant, and their kin. The other panorama is a carefully delineated roll-call of the great craftsmen and inventors of celestial navigation instruments--the likes of Thomas Godfrey, Captain John Davis, John Dollond, Edward Nairne, John Hadley, and Jesse Ramsden.
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$I"[This] book is a tremendous addition to nautical history. . .The experienced navigator will gain new insight and the novice will undoubtedly be awed by the beauty of the instruments and Ifland's lucid explanation of the process of navigating by the stars."$I -- Twain Braden, $IOcean Navigator$I.
$I"Peter Ifland has produced a wonderfully readable and remarkably thorough account of the history of sextants and other instruments designed for celestial
navigation."$I -- Deborah Jean Warner, Curator, Physical Sciences, National Museum of American History
$I"...thoroughly enjoyable and comprehensive history of navigational devices and celestial instruments... The text includes spell-binding accounts of seafaring lore, too. There are dozens of illustrations and photographs, most in color...is likely to become a collector's item.$I"--Ken Moore, $INaples Daily News$I, November 15, 1998
$I"Mankind's
romance with the stars has never ceased. It is the author's testament to his own love affair with the stars and the tools allowing those who have followed their course across the skies to read their message."$I Susan Farrington,$IThe Sandford Herald$I, February 3, 1999. |
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