Dava Sobel

Who is Dava Sobel?

Dava Sobel is a writer of popular expositions of scientific topics. She graduated from The Bronx High School of Science and Binghamton University. Her works include:

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time – the genius in question was John Harrison, who spent decades trying to convince the British Admiralty of the accuracy of his naval timepieces and their use in determining longitude when at sea in order to win the longitude prize. ISBN 1-85702-571-7. The book itself won the 1997 British Book of the Year award.

Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love ISBN 0-14-028055-3

The Best American Science Writing 2004

The Planets: A discourse on the discovery, science, history and mythology, of the planets in our solar system, with one chapter devoted to each of the celestial spheres. ISBN 1-85702-850-3

A More Perfect Heaven: How Copernicus Revolutionised the Cosmos ISBN 978-0-8027-1793-1

Longitude was dramatised for television by Charles Sturridge and Granada Film in 1999, and was shown in the United States by A&E. Michael Gambon played John Harrison, and Jeremy Irons played Rupert Gould, who restored Harrison's timepieces for posterity in the mid-20th century.