"Entertaining and erudite...In what was to become thought of as one of the first modern exploring expeditions, on May 12, 1735, the Portefaix set sail from the port of Rochefort on the French Geodesic Mission to the Equator. What follows is the 'astonishing adventure' of Crane’s Latitude."

– The Explorers Journal

"In 1735, a group of international scientists set sail for the equator. Their goal was to measure the length of one degree of latitude in order to come to a better understanding of the shape of the planet. The expedition faced steep mountains and dense rainforests as well as unpredictable weather and dangerous earthquakes. In a narrative that often reads like an adventure novel, Crane fluidly shares their story, including details and excerpts gleaned from their journals…A fascinating account of an overlooked scientific endeavor."

– Kirkus

"Latitude is a science story and an adventure worthy of Robert Louis Stevenson, written with elegant flair by the Royal Geographic Society’s Nicholas Crane."

– Shepherd Express

Praise for Nicholas Crane’s Mercator: The Man Who Mapped the Planet

“Mercator's story is fascinating.....Crane’s book is a good introduction to the father of modern mapmaking.”

– The Economist

"A brilliant biography of a man who gave us a new way of looking at the world.”

– Choice

“Perhaps there is something of the Mercator about Nicholas Crane, for this is a gracefully written, highly readable and painstakingly researched volume.”

– Justin Marozzi, The Financial Times

“A huge achievement. This rich and rewarding biography of the man who changed the way we look at the world”

– The Sunday Times

“A fine biography.  Crane manages to evoke and explain the complex intellectual atmosphere which fostered his genius.”

– Robert Macfarlane, The Observer

“Crane's absorbing biography does equal justice to his subject's life, time and scholarly works, which, as one would expect, ranged far beyond the realm of geography.”

– The Scotsman

“A scholarly and detailed account of life in Europe in the Age of Discovery, it is also an imaginative and vivid biography of a devoutly religious man who was a distinguished instrument maker and map engraver. A fascinating book.”

– The Bookseller

“A tour-de-force of historical biography, throwing the life of this little-known genius into brilliant relief.”

– Waterstone’s Quarterly

“Enthusiastic, erudite and scrupulous.”

– The Times Literary Supplement