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A review by shanaqui
About Time: A History of Civilization in Twelve Clocks by David Rooney
informative
medium-paced
4.0
The main disappointment about this book is that the subtitle, "A History of Civilisation in Twelve Clocks", is pretty much a lie. I was hoping for something that chose twelve specific clocks and explained how they reflect on society at the time... but mostly, there were twelve chapters themed around clocks, moving roughly but not solely in a chronological order. There are specific clocks mentioned and described, some even in some detail, but it's not as laser-focused as I'd hoped.
It's still a very compelling book; I found myself speeding through it. It's just not quite what was advertised, which was disappointing. It's interesting to read about the different ways people have resisted clocks -- I knew of course that things like "Greenwich Mean Time" are full of nationalistic and colonial implications, but the fact that suffragists attacked clocks was new to me.
Very readable, and I enjoyed it -- but not quite as advertised!
It's still a very compelling book; I found myself speeding through it. It's just not quite what was advertised, which was disappointing. It's interesting to read about the different ways people have resisted clocks -- I knew of course that things like "Greenwich Mean Time" are full of nationalistic and colonial implications, but the fact that suffragists attacked clocks was new to me.
Very readable, and I enjoyed it -- but not quite as advertised!