LONGITUDE

Sobel launches us through the tumult of history and science as merchants, monarchs and mariners wrestle with measuring longitude. Hair-raising tales of miscalculations causing ships to be lost at sea spurred the efforts of astronomers trying to solve the problem. A clock-maker found the answer, but John Harrison endured a lifelong struggle for acknowledgment. The writing is wonderful. Moreover, Sobel’s wit, coupled with Jane Jacobs’s lovely, liquid tones and dramatic abilities, takes this fascinating topic and makes it an entertaining and erudite production. Even occasionally erratic levels of audio cannot diminish the joy of such fine listening. S.B.S. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG 96]