Measuring America

By: Andro Linklater

Narrated by: Alan Sklar

How we ultimately gained the American Customary System, the last traditional system in the world, and how Gunter's chain indelibly imprinted its dimensions on the land, on cities, and on our culture from coast to coast is both an exciting human and intellectual drama and one of the great untold stories in American history. Sagely argued and beautifully written, Measuring America offers readers nothing less than the opportunity to see America's history, and our democracy, in a brilliant new light.©2002 Andro Linklater (P)2003 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This expertly written and eminently enjoyable chronicle is highly recommended." (Library Journal)
"Make room on the library shelf for the never-before-told saga of the survey that converted the vast wilderness west of the Ohio River into a commodity marked out for government sale." (Booklist)

Sleep Aid

Very Interesting subject. 5 hour book would have covered it. At 11 hours the subject gets too drawn out to maintain your interest.

Measuring America

A fascinating listen for anyone of scientific bent who is curious about geography, weights and measures, and US history.

Fascinating!

Educational, but also full of great stories of people and politics. If not for a pirate, we would have established our country in metric units.

As the son of a surveyor

I found this to be a link to my late father and his craft and art. I didn’t know the immense history behind our traditional measures. Even understanding their inefficiencies, I’m happy we’ve kept them.

Interesting Material, incredibly BORING

This book has fascinating material, however the author and narrator present the material in a horribly boring, uninteresting way. The book is basically lists of facts, and becomes difficult to follow after a while. I found my mind wandering off again and again, to the point where I had to continuously rewind in order understand the point he was making.