Tracks in the Sea: Matthew Fontaine Maury and the Mapping of the Oceans.
CHESTER G. HEARNIn the early 1800s, seafaring was a risky proposition, Chronometers were available to only a few ships, and sailors lacked a map of the oceans' surface currents and winds. Matthew Fontaine Maury made sailing safer and far more efficient. He and his team worked steadily from 1842 to 1861 to identify the "highways of the sea." This biography weaves the compelling story of how Maury took a bunch of neglected logbooks and turned them into a revolutionary approach to navigation. The story begins at Maury's modest roots on a Virginia farm. He nevertheless accomplished a brilliant naval career that led him through the Civil War--on the side of the Confederacy--and finally to become the first superintendent of the U,S. Naval Observatory. McGraw, 2002, 278 p., b&w photos/illus., hardcover, $24.95.
HOW TO ORDER To order these books or any other book in print, call 1-800-370-3010. visa, MasterCard, and American Express accepted. Send checks or money orders plus $5.95 shipping and handling ($2.50 for each additional item) to How To Media, 28 Slocum Place, Long Branch, NJ 07740. Or see our Web site at www.sciencenewsbooks.org. This service is provided in conjunction with Science News Books.
 Printer friendly
 Cite/link
 Email
 Feedback
| |
| Publication: | Science News |
|---|---|
| Article Type: | Book Review |
| Date: | Sep 14, 2002 |
| Words: | 204 |
| Previous Article: | The Tending Instinct: How Nurturing Is Essential to Who We Are and How We Live. |
| Next Article: | Plane truth. (Letters). |