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Article: Introduction to Geodesy: the History and Concepts of Modern Geodesy.(Review)
- Article from:
- The Geographical Journal
- Article date:
- December 1, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Blackwell Publishers Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Introduction to Geodesy: the History and Concepts of Modern Geodesy. By JAMES R. SMITH.
New York: John Wiley, 1997, 224 pp., [pounds]32.50 (pbk). ISBN 0 471 16660 X
Ask at random 'What is geodesy?' and the answer from the public is likely to be 'I have not the slightest idea!'. This book was intended to fill a gap in people's knowledge. The author, however, is evidently not himself a geodesist and the book has many avoidable errors, serious omissions and gross misconceptions.
The word 'geodesy' like its companion word 'geometry' comes from Greek, but neither subject began with the Greeks. The Egyptians and Babylonians preceded the Greeks by ...