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2.83 AVERAGE
2.83 AVERAGE
I have no idea what I just read. I’m not sure I’m the right audience for this book but the book is titled a very short introduction: the history of time. Which means the readers must be expecting to know the “introduction” of time. I have no doubt leofranc must be a great scholar and must have done a lot of research prior to writing this book but he assumes the reader already knows everything… the terminology and jargons used, the name of the months and everything is completely new and no! you cannot expect the reader to know this….. I don’t know anything about Jewish calendar or Egyptian calendar so where is this assumption coming from… an over complicated calculations of numbers and years just made my head spin… an absolute impossible read!!! My only reason for finishing this book was that it made me sleepy after a single page so I used it as a sleeping pill.
оксфордські «дуже короткі вступи» зручні, але іноді – як із цим, скажімо, – здається, що редактори просять авторів розповісти про щось коротко, не додаючи, що це має бути ще і ясно. а потім, коли автори приносять стислі головоломні тексти, уже якось незручно уточнювати технічне завдання, то їх так і публікують.
коли я розумію, про що пише голфорд-стревенс, читати його приємно; коли не розумію – ну, принаймні є враження, що сам він знає, що хоче сказати.
коли я розумію, про що пише голфорд-стревенс, читати його приємно; коли не розумію – ну, принаймні є враження, що сам він знає, що хоче сказати.
It was informative, but not very fun, which is a lot different from the other Very Short Introduction that I read (Astronomy).
Makes you think, but it's likely more than you ever wanted to know about how we denote time and dates.
Fascinating but somewhat technical introduction to a complex subject: how we measure time. Most of the book is concerned with the historical development of calendars, including an entire chapter on Easter as a case study of the complexities of calendrical calculations.
So as a history of Time, it’s probably 5 stars. As readable/enjoyable it’s 2 stars. So I’ll call it 3 stars. It’s definitely interesting and a wonder we ever agreed on a single calendar (for the most part).
I had a bit more to say on a status update, but I can’t copy on my phone.
I had a bit more to say on a status update, but I can’t copy on my phone.
I started reading this book thinking this was a historical exploration of the philosophical conceptions of time. Maybe I’m not the only one to fall for this, for, as the author himself acknowledges in the introduction, the title may be a bit of a misnomer. Even so, I was pleasantly surprised by the the content of this work. For this is a history of the ways people kept track of time. In this sense, yes, this is a history of time, but time in a weaker sense.
So what is this book actually about? This is an exploration of how the different calendars were divised, its lengths, its relations and justifications within a particular culture, and how some of these notions, ideas, calculations and, even, mistakes, are still influencing our own ways of keeping track of time.
So, what do I keep from this? Well, to be honest, just the loose impression that most peoples (if not all) in their need to keep track of time, end up being trapped within the cultural necessity of trying to make the universe conform to the calendar. I know, sounds weird. But we are still doing it. For we rise when the clock ticks, and not when the Sun rises. This, although not explicitly stated in the book, it’s something that permeates the whole message; at least when you start considering that all calendars are filled with incongruencies shaped by cultures offsetting the counting with the universal measure of Nature.
Maybe you’ll like to know why your days are called the way they are. Maybe you just like to know some random facts about calendars, Easter days, and why do we call it Summer. Maybe you’re just glad do know how cutely random these defining features of our civilization truly are. In any case, you’ll find something of interest worth of your time.
So what is this book actually about? This is an exploration of how the different calendars were divised, its lengths, its relations and justifications within a particular culture, and how some of these notions, ideas, calculations and, even, mistakes, are still influencing our own ways of keeping track of time.
So, what do I keep from this? Well, to be honest, just the loose impression that most peoples (if not all) in their need to keep track of time, end up being trapped within the cultural necessity of trying to make the universe conform to the calendar. I know, sounds weird. But we are still doing it. For we rise when the clock ticks, and not when the Sun rises. This, although not explicitly stated in the book, it’s something that permeates the whole message; at least when you start considering that all calendars are filled with incongruencies shaped by cultures offsetting the counting with the universal measure of Nature.
Maybe you’ll like to know why your days are called the way they are. Maybe you just like to know some random facts about calendars, Easter days, and why do we call it Summer. Maybe you’re just glad do know how cutely random these defining features of our civilization truly are. In any case, you’ll find something of interest worth of your time.
challenging
informative
medium-paced
Very thorough introduction to how time has been measured across human history. At times a little densely packed with jargon, but overall useful and interesting
This book is plain boring and much harder to read than it needed to be. Occasional interesting observations kept me going, but the book is probably not worth your time.
challenging
informative
fast-paced
A lot of information but not cataloged in a particularly engaging way. Good for research purposes and interesting in spurts but not something I'd recommend outside of getting a compendium of small, interesting facts in a relatively condensed package and mostly reasonably organized.