Includes bibliographical references (p. 289-292) and index.
Contents
The invention of landed property -- Precise confusion -- Who owned America -- Life, liberty, or what -- Simple arithmetic -- A line drawn in the wilderness -- The French dimension -- Democratic decimals -- The birth of the metric system -- Dombey's luck -- The end of Putnam -- The immaculate grid -- The shape of cities -- Hassler's passion -- The dispossessed -- The limit of enclosure -- Four against ten -- Metric triumphant -- Epilogue : the witness tree.
Summary
Linklater's fascinating, provocative and eye-opening story of why America has ended up with its unique system of weights and measures, is explained in this volume that also shows how it has shaped the culture and country.
