Beyond Measure

“A profound reflection on how we experience and describe the world.” – The New Yorker“Vincent’s writing is deft and elegant, and his talent for explaining complex ideas in prose that doesn’t bog or brag is, quite frankly, beyond measure…[H]e has earned his place alongside such masters of explanatory prose as John McPhee, Steven Pinker and Jared Diamond.” – Katie Hafner - Washington Post“Engaging.…[A] lively tour of measurement history from the Egyptians and Babylonians through today’s disciples of the quantified self.” – Timothy Farrington - Wall Street Journal“Worth its weight in gold…[M]arries infectious enthusiasm for the science with healthy scepticism about the uses human beings put it to.” – Madoc Cairns - The Guardian“Fascinating.… Beyond Measure offers engrossing accounts of the role that measurement has played in scientific progress.… [James] Vincent also presents a deep history of measurement’s role in society.” – Christie Aschwanden - Undark“Fascinating.… [A]s an account of the lengths humanity has gone to in the name of measurement, this quirky history is inch-perfect.” – Chris Allnutt, Financial Times (UK)“A pacy romp through time and space…Beyond Measure documents humanity’s attempts to claw dependable truths from a chaotic universe.” – Chris Stokel-Walker - New Scientist“Phenomenal.… [Beyond Measure] is brisk and constantly surprising as it makes clear that all measurements derive from human choices and are thus inherently fallible. This one shouldn’t be missed.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review“An engaging book written with intelligence, self-awareness, and wit.” – Kirkus Reviews“A wildly ambitious book by a formidably talented young writer.” – Robert Macfarlane, best-selling author of Underland“Beyond Measure offers, with much intellectual flair and style, a bracing new history.” – Pankaj Mishra, best-selling author of From the Ruins of Empire“Vivid, epic, and full of curiosities. This is a book to delight and fascinate.” – Tim Harford, author of How to Make the World Add Up“An epic story about humankind’s relationship with the physical world. James Vincent is an erudite and perceptive guide, who with energy and skill weaves history, science and reportage into an enthralling tale.” – Alex Bellos, author of Patterns of the Universe“Delightful.… One of those books that makes us look afresh at the whole of modern civilization.” – Graham Farmelo, author of The Universe Speaks in Numbers

James Vincent is a senior reporter for the Verge, the Vox Media site devoted to technology and society. He has also written for the London Review of Books, Financial Times, and Wired. He lives in London.