The History of Time: A Very Short Introduction (Paperback)

Why do we measure time in the way that we do? Why is a week seven days long? At what point did minutes and seconds come into being? Why are some calendars lunar and some solar? The organisation of time into hours, days, months and years seems immutable and universal, but is actually far more artificial than most people realise. The French Revolution resulted in a restructuring of the French calendar, and the Soviet Union experimented with five and then six-day weeks. Leofranc Holford-Strevens explores these questions using a range of fascinating examples from Ancient Rome and Julius Caesar's imposition of the Leap Year, to the 1920s' project for a fixed Easter. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

General

Imprint:	Oxford UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Series:	Very Short Introductions
Release date:	August 2005
First published:	October 2005
Authors:	Leofranc Holford-Strevens
Dimensions:	174 x 111 x 10mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	160
ISBN-13:	978-0-19-280499-0
Categories:	Books > Science & Mathematics > Science: general issues > Popular science Books > Science & Mathematics > Astronomy, space & time > Time (chronology) > General
LSN:	0-19-280499-5
Barcode:	9780192804990

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