A History of Civilization in Twelve Clocks

About Time

'An utterly dazzling book, the best piece of history I have read for a long time' 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' Richard Holmes 
 
The measurement of time has always been essential to human civilization, from early Roman sundials to the advent of GPS. But while we have one eye on the time every day, are we aware of the power clocks have given governments, military leaders and business owners, and how they have shaped our lives and our world? 
 
In this spectacularly far-reaching book, David Rooney narrates a history of timekeeping and civilization in twelve concise chapters. Over their course, we meet the most epochal inventions in horological history, from medieval water clocks to Renaissance hourglasses, and from stock-exchange timestamps to satellites in Earth's orbit. We discover how clocks have helped people navigate the globe and build empires, but also, on occasion, taken us to the brink of destruction. 
 
This is the story of time, and the story of time is the story of us.

'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'

'Fascinating... it's to Rooney's credit that although he clearly knows a colossal amount about clocks, he wears his learning very lightly'

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

'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'

'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'

'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

'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'

'A fascinating and sometimes frightening story. Rooney weaves a convincing tale of the evil uses to which clocks have been put'

'Captivating ... a diverting way to spend a few hours of precious time'

'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'

'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'

'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'

'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'

'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'

David Rooney is a historian and museum curator. Born in north-east England, he moved to London in 1995 to take a traineeship at the Science Museum, where he first encountered the aeroplane that completed the Big Hop in 1919. Over an almost thirty-year career, David has curated timekeeping, transport and engineering collections at institutions from the National Maritime Museum to the Science Museum, bringing historical stories vividly alive. He is the author of About Time: A History of Civilization in Twelve Clocks (2021), which has been translated into eleven languages. 
 
About The Big Hop, David says: ‘It is 30 years since I first walked beneath the canvas wings of an ungainly biplane and wondered what must have possessed two young men to fly it across the Atlantic. Writing this book is my way of paying tribute to the pioneers of aviation – men and women from all walks of life – who risked everything: for freedom, for progress, and for us.’

The measurement of time has always been essential to human civilization, from early Roman sundials to the advent of GPS. But while we have one eye on the time every day, are we aware of the power clocks have given governments, military leaders and business owners, and how they have shaped our lives and our world? 
 
In this spectacularly far-reaching book, David Rooney narrates a history of timekeeping and civilization in twelve concise chapters. Over their course, we meet the most epochal inventions in horological history, from medieval water clocks to Renaissance hourglasses, and from stock-exchange timestamps to satellites in Earth's orbit. We discover how clocks have helped people navigate the globe and build empires, but also, on occasion, taken us to the brink of destruction. 
 
This is the story of time, and the story of time is the story of us.

David Rooney

‘The Big Hop is a fabulous book. It works on every level, balancing technological know-how with superb characterisation. A gripping read.’

'Enchanting ... Blends biography and scientific history in nimble measure. ... [A] very fine book'

“I haven’t been so under the spell of a book about dangerous journeys since reading David Grann’s spectacular The Wager … Rooney comes into his own as a master of suspense … a sure-footed combination of technical detail, lively characterisation and artful narrative structure that keeps the tension going until the final pages … a splendid book'

[An] excellent book…[The Big Hop] consists of colourful biographical sketches of the aviators who took part in the competition and thrilling accounts of their efforts

The Big Hop is a delectable serving of escapist nostalgia, a heroic adventure story perfect for a time when genuine heroes are few… [a] wonderful book… [and] a joy to read

Rooney’s previous book was also nonfiction, but The Big Hop reminded me of a John Buchan novel. Rooney has Buchan’s knack for acute imagery and for spare, compelling action scenes… There may be some risk of air sickness reading Rooney– but there is no danger of boredom

The Big Hop brings some unsung heroes to centre stage… recounted by Rooney with page-turning panache

The Big Hop is a glorious romp through an overlooked part of aviation history, stuffed full of intriguing characters and white-knuckle courage

'Riveting … The Big Hop restores the 1919 achievement of those two young men, Alcock and Brown, to their rightful place in aviation history'

'Rooney’s description of the crossing has all the panache of a Boy’s Own story'

Praise for David Rooney: 
 
'About Time is abundantly clever, with myriad fascinations on every page'

Simon Winchester, New York Times (on ABOUT TIME)

'Fascinating ... it’s to Rooney’s credit that although he clearly knows a colossal amount about clocks, he wears his learning very lightly'

Jerry Brotton, author of A History of the World in Twelve Maps (on ABOUT TIME)

'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'

Michael O'Donnell, Wall Street Journal (on ABOUT TIME)

The First Non-stop Flight Across the Atlantic and Into the Future

'David Rooney is an expert storyteller with a big heart, capturing not only the perils faced by the intrepid airmen who attempted the flight, but also their humanity' JOHN LANCASTER, author of The Great Air Race 
 
Newfoundland, 1919. Buffeted by winds, an unwieldy aircraft – made mainly from wood and stiff linen – struggled to take off from the North American island’s rocky slopes. Cramped side by side in its open cockpit were two men, freezing cold and barely able to move but resolute. They had a dream: to be the first in human history to fly, non-stop, across the Atlantic Ocean. But there were three other teams competing against them, and as the waves raged a few miles below, memories of wartime crashes resurfaced . . . 
 
It was just over six months since the ‘War to End all Wars’ had come to its close. Between them, the seven young aviators who would get off the ground for the transatlantic race had already defied death many times. Mining letters, diaries and evocative unpublished photographs, David Rooney’s deeply researched account of the audacious contest shows how it was the airmen’s thrilling wartime experiences that ultimately led them to the ‘Big Hop’, and brought old friends together for one more daring adventure. 
 
These Atlantic pioneers weren’t scientists or stoical upper-class officers. They were ordinary, working men, risking their lives in the name of progress. Unjustly forgotten by history, they nonetheless paved the way for the Earharts and Lindberghs who came after – and ushered in the age of global connection in which we live now. 
 
A non-stop flight across the Atlantic might seem routine today; almost a chore. But it is only possible because of those who went first.

David Rooney

Praise for The Big Hop

‘The Big Hop is a fabulous book. It works on every level, balancing technological know-how with superb characterisation. A gripping read.’

'Enchanting ... Blends biography and scientific history in nimble measure. ... [A] very fine book'

“I haven’t been so under the spell of a book about dangerous journeys since reading David Grann’s spectacular The Wager … Rooney comes into his own as a master of suspense … a sure-footed combinatio ...

‘The Big Hop is a fabulous book. It works on every level, balancing technological know-how with superb characterisation. A gripping read.’

'Enchanting ... Blends biography and scientific history in nimble measure. ... [A] very fine book'

“I haven’t been so under the spell of a book about dangerous journeys since reading David Grann’s spectacular The Wager … Rooney comes into his own as a master of suspense … a sure-footed combinatio ...

‘The Big Hop is a fabulous book. It works on every level, balancing technological know-how with superb characterisation. A gripping read.’

'Enchanting ... Blends biography and scientific history in nimble measure. ... [A] very fine book'

“I haven’t been so under the spell of a book about dangerous journeys since reading David Grann’s spectacular The Wager … Rooney comes into his own as a master of suspense … a sure-footed combinatio ...

Books by David Rooney

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