John hudson tiner biography sampler

John Hudson Tiner is an outstanding writer with a special talent for science topics. There are a number of books in this series although I reviewed only two two of them.

Exploring Planet Earth

This unusual look at explorations is subtitled "The Journey of Discovery, from Early Civilization to Future Exploration." Unlike other "exploration" books, it doesn't stick with a biographical format, following explorers in chronological order.

It does some of that, but within the context of various scientific concepts related to exploration. For example, it begins with a discussion of Eratosthenes and how he calculated the circumference of the earth very accurately about B.C.

The importance of Isaac Newton's scientific studies and explanations of tides is presented in the context of explorers and would-be conquerors who had to contend with unfriendly tides.

Among the other topics addressed are discoveries made by Marco Polo on his travels, navigation and astronomy, winds and storms (includ