a measure of all things

Measurement can sometimes be a confusing business. One might expect a gallon to be the same everywhere, but a US gallon is considerably different from an imperial gallon. And what of older measures such as the 'rod, pole or perch' - how did this turn out to be five and a half yards? In a measure of all things Ian Whitelaw delves into such issues. The result is a book which is full of information on the many different systems of measurement used for different purposes, such as sheets of paper, bottles of champagne and even the hotness of a chilli.

The book has 11 chapters, each looking at a type of measurement - length, area, volume, mass, time, temperature and so on. These are divided into typically 2 page sections on a particular topic, with plenty of diagrams. This helps to pack in a great deal of information, but in a way which is accessible to the novice reader. However, it's not the sort of book to read from start to finish, but then again it isn't really a reference book either - its more of a book to dip into at odd moments. I think its best suited for those who want some background information on the systems of measurement which they encounter.