{"title":"Books by Simon Winchester","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780008484385","title":"Knowing What We Know","description":"\u003cp\u003e‘A delightful compendium of the kind of facts you immediately want to share with anyone you encounter’ New York Times\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘An ebullient, irrepressible spirit invests this book.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is erudite and sprightly’Sunday TimesFrom the creation of the first encyclopedia to Wikipedia, from ancient museums to modern kindergarten classes—here is award-winning writer Simon Winchester’s brilliant and all-encompassing look at how humans acquire, retain, and pass on information and data, and how technology continues to change our lives and our minds. With the advent of the internet, any topic we want to know about is instantly available with the touch of a smartphone button. With so much knowledge at our fingertips, what is there left for our brains to do? At a time when we seem to be stripping all value from the idea of knowing things – no need for maths, no need for map reading, no need for memorisation – are we risking our ability to think? As we empty our minds, will we one day be incapable of thoughtfulness?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAddressing these questions, Simon Winchester explores how humans have attained, stored and disseminated knowledge. Examining such disciplines as education, journalism, encyclopedia creation, museum curation, photography and broadcasting, he looks at a whole range of knowledge diffusion – from the cuneiform writings of Babylon to the machine-made genius of artificial intelligence, by way of Gutenberg, Google and Wikipedia to the huge Victorian assemblage of the Mundaneum, the collection of everything ever known, currently stored in a damp basement in northern Belgium. Studded with strange and fascinating details, Knowing What We Know is a deep dive into learning and the human mind.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThroughout this fascinating tour, Winchester forces us to ponder what rational humans are becoming. What good is all this knowledge if it leads to lack of thought? What is information without wisdom? Does René Descartes’ ‘Cogito, ergo sum’—'I think, therefore I am’, the foundation for human knowledge widely accepted since the Enlightenment—still hold? And what will the world be like if no one in it is wise?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57685878571381,"sku":"9780008484422","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":43173386125490,"sku":"9780008484385","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780008484422.jpg?v=1792599102"},{"product_id":"9780008241780","title":"Exactly","description":"\u003cp\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2018\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBestselling author Simon Winchester writes a magnificent history of the pioneering engineers who developed precision machinery to allow us to see as far as the moon and as close as the Higgs boson. Precision is the key to everything. It is an integral, unchallenged and essential component of our modern social, mercantile, scientific, mechanical and intellectual landscapes. The items we value in our daily lives – a camera, phone, computer, bicycle, car, a dishwasher perhaps – all sport components that fit together with precision and operate with near perfection. We also assume that the more precise a device the better it is. And yet whilst we live lives peppered and larded with precision, we are not, when we come to think about it, entirely sure what precision is, or what it means. How and when did it begin to build the modern world?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSimon Winchester seeks to answer these questions through stories of precision’s pioneers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExactly takes us back to the origins of the Industrial Age, to Britain where he introduces the scientific minds that helped usher in modern production: John ‘Iron-Mad’ Wilkinson, Henry Maudslay, Joseph Bramah, Jesse Ramsden, and Joseph Whitworth. Thomas Jefferson exported their discoveries to the United States as manufacturing developed in the early twentieth century, with Britain’s Henry Royce developing the Rolls Royce and Henry Ford mass producing cars, Hattori’s Seiko and Leica lenses, to today’s cutting-edge developments from Europe, Asia and North America.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs he introduces the minds and methods that have changed the modern world, Winchester explores fundamental questions. Why is precision important? What are the different tools we use to measure it? Who has invented and perfected it? Has the pursuit of the ultra-precise in so many facets of human life blinded us to other things of equal value, such as an appreciation for the age-old traditions of craftsmanship, art, and high culture? Are we missing something that reflects the world as it is, rather than the world as we think we would wish it to be? And can the precise and the natural co-exist in society?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43201220772018,"sku":"9780008241780","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780008241780.jpg?v=1785658819"},{"product_id":"9780008359157","title":"Land","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom the bestselling author Simon Winchester, a human history of land around the world: who mapped it, owned it, stole it, cared for it, fought for it and gave it back.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1889, thousands of hopeful people raced southward from the Kansas state line and westward from the Arkansas boundary to stake claims on the thousands of acres of unclaimed pastures and meadows. Across the twentieth century, water was dammed and drained in Holland so that a new province, Flevoland, rose up, unchartered and requiring new thinking. In 1850, California legislated the theft of land from Native Americans. An apology came in 2019 from the governor, but what of the call for reparations or return? What of government confiscation of land in India, or questions of fairness when it comes to New Zealand’s Maori population and the legacy of settlers?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe ownership of land has always been complicated, opaque, and more than a little anarchic when viewed from the outside.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this book, Simon Winchester explores the the stewardship of land, the ways it is delineated and changes hands, the great disputes, and the questions of restoration – particularly in the light of climate change and colonialist reparation. A global study, this is an exquisite exploration of what the ownership of land might really mean – not in dry-as-dust legal terms, but for the people who live on it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43201270120626,"sku":"9780008359157","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780008359157.jpg?v=1785659127"},{"product_id":"9780141005171","title":"Krakatoa","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Bracingly apocalyptic stuff: atmospheric, chock-full of information and with a constantly escalating sense of pace and tension' \u003ci\u003eSunday Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSimon Winchester's brilliant chronicle of the destruction of the Indonesian island of Krakatoa in 1883 charts the birth of our modern world. He tells the story of the unrecognized genius who beat Darwin to the discovery of evolution; of Samuel Morse, his code and how rubber allowed the world to talk; of Alfred Wegener, the crack-pot German explorer and father of geology. In breathtaking detail he describes how one island and its inhabitants were blasted out of existence and how colonial society was turned upside-down in a cataclysm whose echoes are still felt to this day.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43201427439794,"sku":"9780141005171","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780141005171_1c0e3d95-6f32-4d87-b3c2-1837225a42a1.jpg?v=1786011223"},{"product_id":"9780140271287","title":"The Surgeon of Crowthorne","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn extraordinary tale of madness, genius and obsession, discover the true story of the two remarkable men that led to the making of the \u003ci\u003eOxford English Dictionary\u003c\/i\u003e - and literary history!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe compilation of the \u003ci\u003eOxford English Dictionary\u003c\/i\u003e, begun in 1857, was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, discovered that one man, Dr. W. C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand of those words. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut when the committee insisted on honouring him, a shocking truth came to light: Dr. Minor, a millionaire and American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane . . . charged with murder!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A weird and wonderful story of an eccentric friendship, and a slice of history' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'What a revelation. 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This giant gash in the flanks of the planet slowly opened up and eventually evolved into the most important and most travelled ocean in our world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this utterly original biography, Simon Winchester explores the life of the Atlantic; it's birth, its relationship with mankind, and what lies in store for it once man has left the stage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe charts the development of the first settlements by the Oceanside – the communities of Celts and Vikings and whose lives depended on the sea – and delves into the age of exploration, venturing to forgotten worlds.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe building of some of the world's most beautiful port cities – London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Casablanca – is also examined, along with the creation of settlements and colonies in and around the sea.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCompletely unique and highly readable, Atlantic takes its reader on a wonderful journey through time, along the waves of our planet's most significant ocean.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56220309258613,"sku":"9780007341399","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780007341399_4ca42355-bc64-48e2-9973-ec2b4c163f3e.jpg?v=1785658972"},{"product_id":"9780007532407","title":"The Men Who United the States","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom bestselling author Simon Winchester, the extraordinary story of how America was united into a single nation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor more than two centuries, E pluribus unum – out of many, one – has been featured on America’s official government seals and stamped on its currency. But how did America become ‘one nation, indivisible’?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this monumental history, Simon Winchester addresses this question, introducing the fearless trailblazers whose achievements forged and unified America. Winchester follows in the footsteps of America’s most essential explorers, thinkers, and innovators. He treks vast swaths of territory, introducing these fascinating pioneers – some, such as Washington and Jefferson, Lewis and Clark being familiar, some forgotten, some hardly known – who played a pivotal role in creating today’s United States. 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His adventures in these distant and forgotten ends of the earth make compelling and often funny reading. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith a new introduction and additional material in many of the chapters, this revised edition tells us what has happened while the author's been away.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56224992788853,"sku":"9780141011899","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780141011899_5d3b65e7-1819-484a-a810-22ea0d711d0a.jpg?v=1786032690"},{"product_id":"9780198814399","title":"The Meaning of Everything","description":"'The greatest enterprise of its kind in history,' was the verdict of British prime minister Stanley Baldwin in June 1928 when The Oxford English Dictionary was finally published. With its 15,490 pages and nearly two million quotations, it was indeed a monumental achievement, gleaned from the efforts of hundreds of ordinary and extraordinary people who made it their mission to catalogue the English language in its entirety.In The Meaning of Everything, Simon Winchester celebrates this remarkable feat, and the fascinating characters who played such a vital part in its execution, from the colourful Frederick Furnivall, cheerful promoter of an all-female sculling crew, to James Murray, self-educated son of a draper, who spent half a century guiding the project towards fruition. Along the way we learn which dictionary editor became the inspiration for Kenneth Grahame's Ratty in The Wind in the Willows, and why Tolkien found it so hard to define 'walrus'. 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What is going on with our atmosphere? The headlines are filled with news of devastating hurricanes, murderous tornadoes, and cataclysmic fires. Gale force advisories are issued on a regular basis by weather services around the world. Atmospheric scientists are warning that winds – the force at the centre of all these dangerous natural events – are expected to steadily increase in the years ahead, strengthening in power, speed, and frequency. While this prediction worried the insurance industry, governmental leaders, scientists, and conscientious citizens, one particular segment of society received it with unbridled enthusiasm. To the energy industry, rising wind strength and speeds as an unalloyed boon for humankind – a vital source of clean and ‘safe’ power.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBetween these two poles – wind as a malevolent force, and wind as saviour of our planet – lies a world of fascination, history, literature, science, poetry, and engineering which Simon Winchester explores with the curiosity and Vigor that are the hallmarks of his bestselling works. In The Breath of the Gods, he explains how wind plays a part in our everyday lives, from airplane or car travel to the ‘natural disasters’ that are becoming more frequent and regular.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Breath of the Gods is an urgently-needed portrait across time of that unseen force – unseen but not unfelt – that respects no national borders and no vessel or structure in its path. Wind, the movement of the air, is seen by so many as a heavenly creation and generally a thing of essential goodness. But when it flexes its invisible muscles, all should take care and be very afraid.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":56367719317877,"sku":"9780008679491","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57682715312501,"sku":"9780008679538","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780008679491_10e9eddb-2157-494e-a0ad-0e05dcff5d7f.jpg?v=1792511594"},{"product_id":"breath-of-the-gods","title":"Breath of the Gods","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e';As our climate changes, the force of the wind is set to grow. By looking to the past and the future,\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eWinchester examines the twinned possibilities alive in this bluster: the power of the wind to tear our\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eworld apart and its ability to help us travel farther and do more.'   \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEpic . . . . A splendidly written account of an\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eunseeable force.  \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author Simon Winchester returns with a thought-provoking history of the wind, written in his edifying and entertaining style.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat is going on with our atmosphere? The headlines are filled with news of devastating hurricanes, murderous tornadoes, and cataclysmic fires affecting large swaths of America. Gale force advisories are issued on a regular basis by the National Weather Service.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2022, a report was released by atmospheric scientists at the University of Northern Illinois, warning that windsthe force at the center of all these dangerous natural eventsare expected to steadily increase in the years ahead, strengthening in power, speed, and frequency.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile this prediction worried the insurance industry, governmental leaders, scientists, and conscientious citizens, one particular segment of society received it with unbridled enthusiasm. To the energy industry, rising wind strength and speeds as an unalloyed boon for humankinda vital source of clean and ';safe' power.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBetween these two poleswind as a malevolent force, and wind as savior of our planetlies a world of fascination, history, literature, science, poetry, and engineering which Simon Winchester explores with the curiosity and vigor that are the hallmarks of his bestselling works. In \u003ci\u003eThe Breath of the Gods\u003c\/i\u003e, he explains how wind plays a part in our everyday lives, from airplane or car travel to the ';natural disasters' that are becoming more frequent and regular.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Breath of the Gods\u003c\/i\u003e is an urgently-needed portrait across time of that unseen forceunseen but not unfeltthat respects no national borders and no vessel or structure in its path. Wind, the movement of the air, is seen by so many as a heavenly creation and generally a thing of essential goodness. But when it flexes its invisible muscles, all should take care and be very afraid.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57495456973173,"sku":"9780063374461","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}]}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-simon-winchester.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}