Despre timp

David Rooney shows how clocks have shaped life and power. He links how we keep time to trade and war. He also looks at its role in travel and empire. States, war leaders, and business owners used clocks to gain control. Clocks helped people cross the globe and build empires. They also helped bring whole societies close to ruin.

Twelve short chapters trace shifts in how we keep time. They cover Roman sundials and water clocks from the Middle Ages. They also look at hourglasses from the Renaissance. Other topics include stock-market time stamps, satellites, and GPS. The book tells the story of technology and society. It is for readers with an interest in either field. Rooney asks what clocks mean beyond their day-to-day use.

Rooney studies the history of technology. He once cared for timekeeping items as a curator at Greenwich’s Royal Observatory. He helps run three bodies whose work focuses on clocks and watches. One is the world’s oldest clock museum. He lives in London, near the Greenwich meridian.