Flat Earth, by Christine Garwood, published by Thomas Dunne books. I got a copy from my local library, don't know if it is still in print. But it's both an entertaining, well-written account of the history of the concept that the Earth is flat, and a somewhat disturbing analysis of the idée fixe in general, the propensity of some people to believe unshakeably in the most absurd things, things transparently disprovable by the simplest forms of observational experience.
For me the most enlightening portion of the book centers around what was a fantastically popular public debate in the last half of the 19th century in England, kick-started by a Dr. Samuel Birnley Rowbotham, who took on the pseudonym "Parallax", and made a very good living by travelling around giving lectures against the physics of Isaac Newton and the resultant astronomical observations made by others. He was a charismatic natural showman, and had an answer for everything. Some evidence suggests that "Parallax" was simply a good charlatan.
He soon gained an enthusiastic acolyte named John Hampden, who embarked on his own campaign to promulgate the flat earth concept, challenging leading scientists of the day to prove the "convexity" of bodies of water, with large wagers which he reneged on, and vicious libel attacks in the press against major scientific figures. "Parallax" may have been a showman, but Hampden was utterly sincere and unstoppable in his belief. His scurrilous correspondence, including death threats to at least one famous scientist, and his equally incendiary published comments ultimately cost him a lot of money and landed him in prison.
One of the key figures with whom he engaged was Alfred Russel Wallace, co-originator of the theory of evolution, alongside Charles Darwain. Wallace was a curious duck who believed in spiritualism as well as evolution, sort of in the way that Newton believed in alchemy as well as the physical laws he discovered. It was a fantastic duel played out in the popular press over more than a decade.
And there remain flat-Earth believers to this day. The extremity and unshakeability of these fringe beliefs is really what fascinates author Garwood. She makes the book work because she is, despite the craziness of much of what she documents, respectful, at least as far as that is possible. Her attitude comes off essentially as bemused and mystified by how people get to those extremities in beliefs.
A really informative and enjoyable read.
caw
For me the most enlightening portion of the book centers around what was a fantastically popular public debate in the last half of the 19th century in England, kick-started by a Dr. Samuel Birnley Rowbotham, who took on the pseudonym "Parallax", and made a very good living by travelling around giving lectures against the physics of Isaac Newton and the resultant astronomical observations made by others. He was a charismatic natural showman, and had an answer for everything. Some evidence suggests that "Parallax" was simply a good charlatan.
He soon gained an enthusiastic acolyte named John Hampden, who embarked on his own campaign to promulgate the flat earth concept, challenging leading scientists of the day to prove the "convexity" of bodies of water, with large wagers which he reneged on, and vicious libel attacks in the press against major scientific figures. "Parallax" may have been a showman, but Hampden was utterly sincere and unstoppable in his belief. His scurrilous correspondence, including death threats to at least one famous scientist, and his equally incendiary published comments ultimately cost him a lot of money and landed him in prison.
One of the key figures with whom he engaged was Alfred Russel Wallace, co-originator of the theory of evolution, alongside Charles Darwain. Wallace was a curious duck who believed in spiritualism as well as evolution, sort of in the way that Newton believed in alchemy as well as the physical laws he discovered. It was a fantastic duel played out in the popular press over more than a decade.
And there remain flat-Earth believers to this day. The extremity and unshakeability of these fringe beliefs is really what fascinates author Garwood. She makes the book work because she is, despite the craziness of much of what she documents, respectful, at least as far as that is possible. Her attitude comes off essentially as bemused and mystified by how people get to those extremities in beliefs.
A really informative and enjoyable read.
caw
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