A review by kinddog2073
Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement from Cubits to Quantum Constants by James Vincent

adventurous informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Read aloud to my partner.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation and Ableism

Minor: Rape and Forced institutionalization

The chapters dealing with land surveying and eugenics are appropriately dark. Vincent handels the subject matter well, but it is disturbing nonetheless. In particular the discussion of eugenics includes passing details of Carrie Buck's life which I knew about before and we just skimmed over. Buck v Bell is a horrifying story, but an appropriate and important one to tell in a book on the history of metrology.