New from the author of the highly successful "The Story of Writing", here is the first fully illustrated guide to the human passion for measurement - of ourselves, our experiences, our surroundings and the universe - published at a time of great interest in popular science titles. Answering many of the questions of everyday life, and sure to appeal to a broad readership, the book is at once a valuable reference that every home should have, an important work that catalogues our obsession with quantifying the universe - and a wonderful gift.

Table of Contents

Introduction; I. The Meaning of Measurement; 1. Surveying Creation; 2. Number and Mathematics; 3. Customary Units; 4. Instruments and Techniques; II. Measuring Nature; 5. Atoms; 6. Earth; 7. Universe; III. Measuring Man; 8. Mind; 9. Body; 10. Society; 11. The Measure of All Things.

About the Author

Andrew Robinson, former literary editor of The Times Higher Education Supplement, is the author of numerous books, including the immensely popular The Story of Writing.