General William Roy, 1726-1790
Father of the Ordnance Survey
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Edinburgh University Press
Published:5th Aug '22
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£24.99(9781399505796)
William Roy was a polymath and a visionary. His work established the path that would lead to the formation of the Ordnance Survey and to all of the paper-based and digital mapping products that we use today. His story – very much one of the Enlightenment – demonstrates how one man’s curiosity and diligence enabled him to excel across a diverse range of topics: military reconnaissance and intelligence; the lessons that could be learned from the past about the tactical use of landscape; the science of determining the height of mountains; and the development of a meticulous methodology to achieve an unprecedented accuracy in topographical measurement. In this biography, Humphrey Welfare uncovers the career and activities of this important figure, and in doing so paints a vivid picture of the inner complexities of 18th-century Britain.
Welfare’s labour of devotion to someone who lived, thrived and survived through tumultuous times has produced an impressive work. -- Douglas Palmer * Geohistories *
There is a great amount of fascinating detail in the book about the political and technological background of Britain in the late eighteenth century. The book is not just a story of Roy’s life but a setting for the military defence of Great Britain and of its detailed mapping as a single entity. -- Geoff Bailey * Scottish Archaeological Journal *
To call Welfare’s very thorough biography a labor of love is not to denigrate it; it took immense patience and diligence to assemble the scattered pieces of Roy’s life and place him in a context of patronage, military life, and scientific sociability that was uniquely Scottish. The book is well produced, with many illustrations and a full bibliography. -- Anita Guerrini, Oregon State University * Eilghteenth-Century Scotland *
shows a depth of research and meticulous attention to detail worthy of Roy himself. -- Michael Given * West Highland Notes and Queries *
ISBN: 9781399505789
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
310 pages