The Book of Times
From Seconds to Centuries, a Compendium of Measures
Lesley Alderman
- “Clever
- and
- entertaining
- .
- .
- .
- contains
- everything
- you’d
- want
- to
- know
- about
- the
- ticking
- away
- of
- seconds,
- minutes,
- hours,
- days,
- years,
- decades
- and
- centuries.”
- —Time.comOur
- relationship
- to
- time
- is
- complex
- and
- paradoxical:
- Time
- stands
- still.
- Time
- also
- flies.
- Tomorrow
- is
- another
- day.
- Yet
- there’s
- no
- time
- like
- the
- present.
- We
- want
- to
- do
- more
- in
- less
- time,
- but
- wish
- we
- could
- slow
- the
- clock.
- And
- despite
- all
- our
- time-saving
- devices—smart
- phones,
- AI,
- high-speed
- trains—Americans
- feel
- that
- they
- have
- less
- leisure
- time
- than
- ever.In
- an
- era
- when
- our
- time
- feels
- fractured
- and
- imperiled,
- The
- Book
- of
- Times
- encourages
- readers
- to
- ponder
- time
- used
- and
- time
- spent.
- How
- long
- does
- it
- take
- to
- find
- a
- new
- mate,
- digest
- a
- hamburger,
- or
- compose
- a
- symphony?
- How
- much
- time
- do
- we
- spend
- daydreaming,
- texting,
- and
- getting
- ready
- for
- work?
- The
- book
- challenges
- our
- beliefs
- and
- urges
- us
- to
- consider
- how,
- and
- why,
- some
- things
- get
- faster,
- some
- things
- slow
- down,
- and
- some
- things
- never
- change
- (the
- need
- for
- seven
- to
- eight
- hours
- of
- sleep).Packed
- with
- compelling
- charts,
- lists,
- and
- quizzes,
- as
- well
- as
- new
- and
- intriguing
- research,
- The
- Book
- of
- Times
- is
- an
- addictive,
- browsable,
- and
- provocative
- look
- at
- the
- idea
- of
- time
- from
- every
- direction.“Alderman’s
- greatest
- achievement
- is
- the
- continual
- delivery
- of
- quirky
- knowledge
- that
- our
- collective
- curiosities
- crave.”
- —Forbes“Fascinated
- by
- how
- we
- spend—and
- waste—our
- most
- precious
- commodity,
- journalist
- Lesley
- Alderman
- gathered
- the
- sometimes-surprising
- stats
- for
- her
- debut,
- The
- Book
- of
- Times.”
- —People“A
- fascinating
- foray
- into
- familiar
- terrain
- and
- a
- revealing
- look
- at
- how
- we
- really
- spend
- our
- lives.”
- —Mental Floss
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