I should've paid more attention to the subtitle of this book. Foolishly, I thought this would be a book about the development, and technical challenges therein, of the compass. But it's really an excuse to dive into all the various personalities and historical clutter surrounding the development of the compass.

I liked learning how the compass was initially created and how it led to the discovery of magnetic variation and aided the development of our understanding of electricity and earth-as-magnet. I don't really need to know that there were playing cards with pictures of dudes digging for loadstones on them. And I definitely don't need an entire chapter devoted to explaining the origins, character, and ambitions of some quack of a compass entrepreneur.

And then there are the terms that go undefined by the author...and the lack of maps depicting relevant ship courses...and the convoluted sentences that end abruptly like staircases terminating in walls...and the muddled transitions that seem to exist purely to transition instead of assert anything meaningful...and the mis- and overuse of all forms of "irony"....

I really, really wanted to learn about the development and relevance of the compass, and what information on that topic I was able to extract from the text proved very interesting. But I am not going to waste any more time wading through all the irrelevant digressions and chortling but-did-you-also-knows to get to it. There has to be another way. ::insert compass pun here:: ( )

it all seems so simple when we see our first explanation of the uses of magnetism at sea. It turns out that this basic tool has a complex past, and there have had to be many adjustments. Mr. Gurney's book is a clear explanation. GPS is a tremendous advance. ( )

Compass is a history of the navigational device. Very readable, the author takes us chronologically through the various inventions and inventors of the compass, its improvements, and the politics behind their implementation. Told from the perspective of the British and its Royal Navy. Not being a mariner, I learned a tremendous amount of information. ( )

I listened to the audiobook version; probably not the best idea when you're driving home in rush hour. But I love all things nautical, and science, and odd personalities, of which there are several in the history of compass development. An enjoyable "listen" and perhaps I'll pick up the hard copy to read again. ( )

It seems these days that every tool has its history book, and the compass is no exception, its story being taken up by Alan Gurney in Compass: A Story of Exploration and Innovation. This pairs well with books like Dava Sobel's Longitude (although Sobel's is a slightly better read), and Gurney has done a fairly good job of outlining the long history of the the humble compass. A decent armchair history, and recommended for all the mariners out there who are interested in how they get where they're going.

http://philobiblos.blogspot.com/2006/08/book-review-compass.html

[Update: I accidentally reread this book in 2013, thinking I hadn't read it before. I had absolutely no memory of having read it previously. Take that for what you will.] ( )