David Rooney, historian and former curator of timekeeping at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, is a director of the Antiquarian Horological Society and sits on the management committee of the Clockmakers' Museum, the world's oldest clock and watch museum.
'About Time is an utterly dazzling book, the best piece of history
I have read for a long time. From sundials in ancient Rome to
astronomical, water-driven, mechanical and atomic timepieces used
throughout history and across cultures, Rooney has written the
definitive book on these remarkable objects that give order to
everyday life. It is a moving and beautifully written book that
even takes us 5,000 years into the future with plutonium clocks
ticking away beneath our feet. There will be many puns about this
as a timely book; in fact, it is timeless'
*Jerry Brotton, author of A History of the World in Twelve
Maps*
'Not merely an horologist's delight, but an ingenious meditation on
the nature and symbolism of time-keeping itself. From the medieval
hourglass to the Doomsday Clock, from Jaipur to Jodrell Bank, from
GMT to GPS, Rooney ticks off time in a highly entertaining series
of historical tales and parables which also give pause for thought
and sometimes alarming reflections. I will never hear the pips, or
ask 'what's the time?' in quite the same way again. A striking
success'
*Richard Holmes*
'Fascinating... it's to Rooney's credit that although he clearly
knows a colossal amount about clocks, he wears his learning very
lightly'
*Sunday Times*
People say time is money, but David Rooney knows better. In this
information-packed swoop through history and into the future, he
exposes time's many identities along with the hidden agendas of
clocks. Time is knowledge. Time is power. Time is faith. Time is
destiny
*Dava Sobel, author of Longitude*
'Abundantly clever ... [Rooney's] notion is that time-noting
instruments of one kind or another have been central to human
endeavor, and he illustrates the power of such influence by scores
of well-curated examples ... lovely and engaging, with myriad
fascinations on every page'
*New York Times*
'Enthralling and important, About Time takes us deep into the past
and far into the future. With David Rooney as personable guide, we
peer inside clocks from Kyoto to Cape Town, discovering what they
meant to the diverse people who made them, used them, whose lives
were ruled by them. . . . This is a gripping and revealing account
of time, and humanity's changing relationship with it'
*Seb Falk, author of The Light Ages: The Surprising Story of
Medieval Science*
'A fascinating volume on what clocks say both to us and about us
... full of riches ... a valuable intellectual journey at a moment
ripe for contemplation'
*Wall Street Journal*
'David Rooney's passionate enthusiasm for everything clock-related
leaps off every page. The vivid writing, engaging stories and
autobiographical details combine to offer a rich and generous
picture of the history of clocks, from China and Japan to Central
Europe, the Middle East and outer space. In clear, pacey and
evocative prose, Rooney's volume takes in ancient wonders and
modern marvels, leaving us at once enlightened and moved'
*Ludmilla Jordanova, author of History in Practice*
The measurement of time is a convenience, a jailor, a tyrannical
device. David Rooney's delightful and discursive work anatomises
that tyranny. Page after page offers up instances of time's
ubiquity and its mercurial power to get into the interstices of the
everyday
*Jonathan Meades*
'About Time is startlingly original. Rooney is immensely
knowledgeable and passionate about his subject. His engaging style
should make this book, which carries valuable warnings about the
future of humanity, a popular-science classic'
*Literary Review*
'A fascinating and sometimes frightening story. Rooney weaves a
convincing tale of the evil uses to which clocks have been put'
*Daily Express*
'Captivating ... a diverting way to spend a few hours of precious
time'
*The Economist*
'About Time provides a fascinating look at timekeeping devices
throughout history and the societal roles they've filled. A quick
but thoughtful read ensuring you will never look at your alarm
clock or smartphone the same way again'
*Booklist*
'Fascinating ... exposes the tyranny of clocks ... with [Rooney's]
book in hand, and an eye on the world that sustains us, we might
just save ourselves'
*Forbes*
'I've spent a lot of my life trying to reconnect with my experience
of time before I learned to read a clock's three hands. Clock-time
has always oppressed me, and Rooney's explorations of its use as a
tool of power affirmed my unease about it in a spectacular fashion.
His book is a great read, full of fascinating stories, histories
and agendas'
*Jem Finer*
'The author knows his subject intimately ... a fascinating story
about how clocks have not only kept the time for us but also
defined the times we've lived in'
*Washington Examiner*
'Takes readers on a fascinating journey into the past and the
future of time-keeping methods and technology ... [Rooney] reminds
readers that clocks are not just critical to the progress of
civilization but also in the waging of warfare'
*Telegraph India*
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