About Time
By David Rooney
A History of Civilization in Twelve Clocks. W. W. Norton & Company. 2021.
Summary of About Time book by David Rooney
The paralleled perspective of how those in power shaped civilizations all over the world through timekeeping—dictating people’s daily schedules—from a sundial in 263 BCE to plutonium clocks in 6970.
Chapters in About Time book summary
What do you get from this book? The hidden agendas of global timekeeping from ancient times to the future
An early sundial and many successive generations of clocks were used to demand order
Many religious observances follow the hands of time faithfully, which led to more types of timekeepers as technology advanced
The painting of The Hourglass of Temperance portrays the story of political virtue
The birth of the global capitalist system led to clocks with unimaginable accuracy
For centuries, imperial rulers constructed observatories to mark their reigns and boast their sovereignty
Clocks enable and empower empires while time signals and chronometers keep them afloat
The expertise of clock and watchmakers changed the face of manufacturing and the modern world
Those in power used clocks and electricity to enforce their demands of morality
Where there are tyrants, there will be resistance; clocks have been attacked throughout history
Clocks are representatives of us, taking on human roles and defining human life
GPS weaponized clocks— they’re as much a part of military weaponry as bullets and bombs
Will our timekeepers of the future be further used in conflicts or do we have different intentions for them?
Summary of the key insights
Selected critiques in brief
Final word
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About Time — Book Summary Snapshot
Who should read About Time book
- World history lovers
- followers of politics
- time pundits
- clock watchers
- timepiece collectors
- those who are never on time
About the author of About Time
David Rooney
David Rooney’s childhood home was also the home of his family’s clockmaking and restoration business. He absorbed his parent’s passion for clocks and after studying physics and the history of science at university, he became a historian of technology. Formerly a curator of timekeeping at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, Rooney currently helps run three horological institutions, including the world’s oldest clock and watch museum.
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