Revolution in Time: Clocks and the Making of the Modern World - Hardcover

A wonderful book...It's richly detailed and illustrated, extremely informative, and thoroughly enjoyable. Stunning..."Revolution in Time" fairly radiates the author's own delight. Like the classic clocks it so lovingly describes, it is an exhilarating monument to human ingenuity. -- Jim Miller "Newsweek" The text scintillates with wise and witty aphorisms...Landes notes that clocks are the product of 'ingenuity, craftsmanship, artistry and elegance': so is this book. -- David Cannadine "London Review of Books" Landes has an eye for the odd, amusing detail and manages to convey a great enthusiasm for his subject...His book contains a wealth of piquant information that left me musing when I closed it. -- Tracy Kidder "New York Times Book Review" The book is a pleasure to read, for the quality of the author's thinking, for the slightly acid perceptiveness of his observations, and for the often enchanting aptness of his quotations and examples. -- E. J. Hobsbawm "New York Review of Books" David Landes is a splendid storyteller...The book abounds with anecdotes about people, not only those who made the clocks and watches but also those who bought and used them...Without doubt, this book will become a standard work in the history of timekeeping--and it's also fun to read. -- Derek Howse "Washington Post"

The mechanical clock was one of the technological advances that brought Western civilisation to a position of world leadership. The book details how and why this breakthrough occurred through an historical journey.