By Dava Sobel

The biggest selling science book of the 1990s, and it is easy to understand why.

John Harrison was one of the great unsung heroes of British engineering, that was until Dava Sobel brought him to light in “Longitude”. His invention of the marine chronometer was achieved despite opposition from the establishment, and it allowed Britain to rule the seas and explore the world.

This is one of the most exciting tales in the history of engineering. And once you have read the book, make sure you go to the Observatory in Greenwich to see Harrison’s clocks.