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benlundns's review against another edition
5.0
It's always interesting to think how kids today will take for granted things that the older generation never had in their childhood. The two that always stick out to me are; the internet, and touchscreen devices. Cell phones are kinda the same, we had cell phones when I was younger, they were the size of a brick and you couldn't stick them in your back pocket, and there was definitely no texting.
All of that to say, it is interesting to travel back to a time where standard time was not the norm. Where catching a train required calculus level's of math to get to the station on time. Blaise lays out the work that was required into forming the world into time zones we have now. It really is a fascinating look at life in the early 1800's and how things have changed.
All of that to say, it is interesting to travel back to a time where standard time was not the norm. Where catching a train required calculus level's of math to get to the station on time. Blaise lays out the work that was required into forming the world into time zones we have now. It really is a fascinating look at life in the early 1800's and how things have changed.
benfast's review against another edition
1.0
Here's a history book I wasn't sure I was going to finish (gasp, shock, "WHAT?!"). Yes, I know, a history book that me, the guy that only reads history, didn't like? And about a Canadian pioneer nonetheless? Well, the book was not fun to read, and not easy to read, and didn't even seem to be about Sanford Fleming after all!
I bought this book a few years back for my mom, thinking she'd like the topic and biographical nature of the book. She still hadn't read it, so I decided to pick it up and give it a go. The book is about Sanford Fleming, a Scottish-Canadian renaissance man whose biggest claim to fame is creating Standard Time (that notion that you can calculate time zones from one single fixed spot on Earth, and the reason Victoria isn't two minutes behind Vancouver). The only problem is...the book isn't really about Mr. Fleming. I mean, it deals with him, and what he did, but it's more about the concept of time and trying to explain time's significance (and the vast differences between pre-1884 understanding of time and post-1884 understanding of time).
The author, Clark Blaise, attempts to spin this narrative about one of Canada's most important global citizens of the age by telling us about his upbringing and what made Fleming the Fleming of Standard Time (most notably what led him to miss a train in Ireland and have his lightbulb moment), but regularly loses the biography to chase down some philosophical concept of time or history of the railway system in Europe, before hammering the reader over the head with just how strongly the two are linked (which, trust me, isn't always obvious). At times (many times) it seems like Mr. Blaise is just trying to show off how much he knows about the world, with literary references, political theory, history, and philosophy all minutely described when attempting to make the point that, for instance, Fleming has been misconstrued at failing in his own railway endeavours (he was in charge of planning and overseeing both the Intercolonial Railway and the CPR (that's him looking over the shoulder of the future Lord Strathcona in the famous Last Spike photograph of 1885). All in all, it's very confusing, takes a long time to get to any significant point about Fleming himself or his work with 'time,' and drops an ending without even mentioning Fleming (the ending is, apparently, about changing morals in American literary society as representative of the change railways brought).
The book was frustrating to read, made me feel I didn't know anything and couldn't understand anything, and, I felt, didn't do justice to Fleming himself. I don't feel I understand the man and his role in creating Standard Time much more than I did beyond the basic facts, and I wouldn't go as far as saying it was a biography. I didn't like this book, and I wouldn't recommend it (unless you're a philosopher or understand these things better than I do).
Oh, and the book didn't even mention that Fleming designed Canada's first postage stamp, a major oversight in my opinion!
I bought this book a few years back for my mom, thinking she'd like the topic and biographical nature of the book. She still hadn't read it, so I decided to pick it up and give it a go. The book is about Sanford Fleming, a Scottish-Canadian renaissance man whose biggest claim to fame is creating Standard Time (that notion that you can calculate time zones from one single fixed spot on Earth, and the reason Victoria isn't two minutes behind Vancouver). The only problem is...the book isn't really about Mr. Fleming. I mean, it deals with him, and what he did, but it's more about the concept of time and trying to explain time's significance (and the vast differences between pre-1884 understanding of time and post-1884 understanding of time).
The author, Clark Blaise, attempts to spin this narrative about one of Canada's most important global citizens of the age by telling us about his upbringing and what made Fleming the Fleming of Standard Time (most notably what led him to miss a train in Ireland and have his lightbulb moment), but regularly loses the biography to chase down some philosophical concept of time or history of the railway system in Europe, before hammering the reader over the head with just how strongly the two are linked (which, trust me, isn't always obvious). At times (many times) it seems like Mr. Blaise is just trying to show off how much he knows about the world, with literary references, political theory, history, and philosophy all minutely described when attempting to make the point that, for instance, Fleming has been misconstrued at failing in his own railway endeavours (he was in charge of planning and overseeing both the Intercolonial Railway and the CPR (that's him looking over the shoulder of the future Lord Strathcona in the famous Last Spike photograph of 1885). All in all, it's very confusing, takes a long time to get to any significant point about Fleming himself or his work with 'time,' and drops an ending without even mentioning Fleming (the ending is, apparently, about changing morals in American literary society as representative of the change railways brought).
The book was frustrating to read, made me feel I didn't know anything and couldn't understand anything, and, I felt, didn't do justice to Fleming himself. I don't feel I understand the man and his role in creating Standard Time much more than I did beyond the basic facts, and I wouldn't go as far as saying it was a biography. I didn't like this book, and I wouldn't recommend it (unless you're a philosopher or understand these things better than I do).
Oh, and the book didn't even mention that Fleming designed Canada's first postage stamp, a major oversight in my opinion!
queerbillydeluxe's review against another edition
1.0
I usually LOVE this kind of book, and I'm fascinated by time...but I was bored senseless in the 1st 3 chapters and could not finish it. Maybe I'll try again another time, but for now--nope.
librarydino's review
1.0
I usually LOVE this kind of book, and I'm fascinated by time...but I was bored senseless in the 1st 3 chapters and could not finish it. Maybe I'll try again another time, but for now--nope.
cspiwak's review
3.0
started this book and then misplaced it for about a year before finishing. This may have hampered my enjoyment. I felt there was enough material for an interesting new yorker article, but that it was being stretched to fill a book. Interesting analysis of the effect of time standardization on art in general and literature in particular.
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