About the Author

David Ewing Duncan is the author of five books, including the international bestseller Calendar, and writes for Wired, Discover, and The Atlantic Monthly. He is a freelance producer and correspondent for ABC's Nightline, and a commentator on NPR's Morning Edition. He also writes the popular "Biotech and Creativity" column for the San Francisco Chronicle. In 2003, he won the Magazine Journalism Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He lives in San Francisco, California.

Reviews

"As the new millennium approaches, this fine book will prove to all readers that the establishment of a consistent and useful calendar is no dull work of drones and bean counters, but one of humanity's greatest achievements and the embodiment of our culture, history and progress."
-Stephen Jay Gould""CALENDAR" sparkles Gripping, expansive and scholarly, it will be indispensable reading for years to come. Duncan has achieved a rare feat in turning something ordinary into an extraordinary metaphor of life."
-"The Observer""This book is as irresistible as the flow of time itself. The story about our age-old efforts to stay in step with the clocklike movements of the moon, sun and stars is funny and sad, dramatic and comical, and David Duncan tells it beautifully, even poetically."
-Dr. Michael Guillen, ABC News"Duncan writes the way good teachers teach, conversational, yet informed he is a popularizer and storyteller "
-"USA Today" (Editor's Pick)"David Duncan illuminates our calendar's remarkable evolution not just by telling us about time but also by letting us travel through it The story takes us to courts of kings, emperors and popes, from Egypt and India to Byzantium and Rome, and beyond. And, at every turn, the author brings the key players to life."
-"Toronto Globe and Mail""David Duncan takes his place in the ranks of the best explainers in print."
-Hugh Downs

"David Duncan illuminates our calendar's remarkable evolution not just by telling us about time but also by letting us travel through it...The story takes us to courts of kings, emperors and popes, from Egypt and India to Byzantium and Rome, and beyond. And, at every turn, the author brings the key players to life".-- Toronto Globe and Mail

Duncan, producer for ABC News and author of books on subjects ranging from medical training (Residents) to de Soto's exploration of the Southeast (Hernando de Soto), meticulously recounts the development of our Gregorian calendar, which begins on January 1, has 12 months of 28 to 31 days each and usually adds a leap day every four years. He explains how Julius Caesar's affair with Cleopatra led to the Julian calendar used in Europe until 1582; why the Venerable Bede was venerated for his work on the calendar; how the dating of Easter and other religious holidays kept a flicker of scientific investigation burning throughout the so-called Dark Ages; and why March 24 used to be New Year's Eve. This extensively researched book is more than a history of our calendar and the determination of the precise length of the year, however. It is also an absorbing essay on the cross-pollination of ideas, as the astronomical and mathematical knowledge of the classical Greeks was carried by Alexander's armies to India, from whence it returned to ignite the rebirth of learning in Europe during the Middle Ages. In well-positioned asides, Duncan explains the impact of the Indian development of our 10-digit number system on determining an accurate year, and the influence of Islamic culture (although Muslims still live by a different calendar). Duncan overwrites at times, and his work is overwhelmingly Eurocentric, with African and Native American calendar systems mentioned only in passing and Asian ones given scant attention. Nevertheless, this accomplished interdisciplinary work will appeal to all readers tyrannized by the date book. BOMC, QPB and History Book Club featured alternates; author tour. (July)

""CALENDAR" sparkles Gripping, expansive and scholarly, it will be indispensable reading for years to come. Duncan has achieved a rare feat in turning something ordinary into an extraordinary metaphor of life."
-"The Observer""This book is as irresistible as the flow of time itself. The story about our age-old efforts to stay in step with the clocklike movements of the moon, sun and stars is funny and sad, dramatic and comical, and David Duncan tells it beautifully, even poetically."
-Dr. Michael Guillen, ABC News"Duncan writes the way good teachers teach, conversational, yet informed he is a popularizer and storyteller "
-"USA Today" (Editor's Pick)"David Duncan illuminates our calendar's remarkable evolution not just by telling us about time but also by letting us travel through it The story takes us to courts of kings, emperors and popes, from Egypt and India to Byzantium and Rome, and beyond. And, at every turn, the author brings the key players to life."
-"Toronto Globe and Mail""David Duncan takes his place in the ranks of the best explainers in print."
-Hugh Downs

"David Duncan illuminates our calendar's remarkable evolution not just by telling us about time but also by letting us travel through it...The story takes us to courts of kings, emperors and popes, from Egypt and India to Byzantium and Rome, and beyond. And, at every turn, the author brings the key players to life".

-- Toronto Globe and Mail