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Simon Winchester

    28. September 1944

    Simon Winchester ist ein britischer Schriftsteller und Journalist, dessen umfangreiche Karriere die Berichterstattung über entscheidende historische Ereignisse und die Auseinandersetzung mit tiefgründigen Themen von Linguistik bis Geologie umfasst. Sein Ansatz zeichnet sich durch akribische Recherche und fesselnde Erzählungen aus, die oft faszinierende Geschichten aus den Bereichen Wissenschaft und Geschichte aufdecken. Winchester versteht es, scheinbar unterschiedliche Elemente zu kohärenten und lesbaren Werken zu verweben und macht so komplexe Konzepte und übersehene Persönlichkeiten für die Leser zugänglich. Seine Beiträge werden für ihre Gelehrsamkeit geschätzt, aber vor allem für ihre Fähigkeit, die Vergangenheit lebendig werden zu lassen und zum Nachdenken über die Welt anzuregen.

    Simon Winchester
    Der Mann, der die Wörter liebte
    Der wilde Strom
    Krakatau
    Ein Riss durch die Welt
    Der Atlantik
    Der wilde Strom. Eine Reise auf dem Jangtse
    • 2023

      From the creation of the first encyclopedia to Wikipedia, from ancient museums to modern kindergarten classes--here is award-winning writer Simon Winchester's brilliant and all-encompassing look at how humans acquire, retain, and pass on information and data, and how technology continues to change our lives and our minds. With the advent of the internet, any topic we want to know about is instantly available with the touch of a smartphone button. With so much knowledge at our fingertips, what is there left for our brains to do? At a time when we seem to be stripping all value from the idea of knowing things - no need for maths, no need for map reading, no need for memorisation - are we risking our ability to think? As we empty our minds, will we one day be incapable of thoughtfulness? Addressing these questions, Simon Winchester explores how humans have attained, stored and disseminated knowledge. Examining such disciplines as education, journalism, encyclopedia creation, museum curation, photography and broadcasting, he looks at a whole range of knowledge diffusion - from the cuneiform writings of Babylon to the machine-made genius of artificial intelligence, by way of Gutenberg, Google and Wikipedia to the huge Victorian assemblage of the Mundaneum, the collection of everything ever known, currently stored in a damp basement in northern Belgium. Studded with strange and fascinating details, Knowing What We Know is a deep dive into learning and the human mind. Throughout this fascinating tour, Winchester forces us to ponder what rational humans are becoming. What good is all this knowledge if it leads to lack of thought? What is information without wisdom? Does René Descartes' 'Cogito, ergo sum'--'I think, therefore I am', the foundation for human knowledge widely accepted since the Enlightenment--still hold? And what will the world be like if no one in it is wise?

      Knowing What We Know
    • 2022

      A unique rendering of Iceland in winter by a renowned photographer and writer.

      Iceland
    • 2021
    • 2021
    • 2018

      Bestselling author Simon Winchester writes a magnificent history of the pioneering engineers who developed precision machinery to allow us to see as far as the moon and as close as the Higgs boson. Precision is the key to everything. It is an integral, unchallenged and essential component of our modern social, mercantile, scientific, mechanical and intellectual landscapes. The items we value in our daily lives – a camera, phone, computer, bicycle, car, a dishwasher perhaps – all sport components that fit together with precision and operate with near perfection. We also assume that the more precise a device the better it is. And yet whilst we live lives peppered and larded with precision, we are not, when we come to think about it, entirely sure what precision is, or what it means. How and when did it begin to build the modern world? Simon Winchester seeks to answer these questions through stories of precision's pioneers. Exactly takes us back to the origins of the Industrial Age, to Britain where he introduces the scientific minds that helped usher in modern production: John ‘Iron-Mad' Wilkinson, Henry Maudslay, Joseph Bramah, Jesse Ramsden, and Joseph Whitworth. Thomas Jefferson exported their discoveries to the United States as manufacturing developed in the early twentieth century, with Britain's Henry Royce developing the Rolls Royce and Henry Ford mass producing cars, Hattori's Seiko and Leica lenses, to today's cutting-edge developments from Europe, Asia and North America. As he introduces the minds and methods that have changed the modern world, Winchester explores fundamental questions. Why is precision important? What are the different tools we use to measure it? Who has invented and perfected it? Has the pursuit of the ultra-precise in so many facets of human life blinded us to other things of equal value, such as an appreciation for the age-old traditions of craftsmanship, art, and high culture? Are we missing something that reflects the world as it is, rather than the world as we think we would wish it to be? And can the precise and the natural co-exist in society?

      Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World
    • 2018

      Exactly

      • 416 Seiten
      • 15 Lesestunden
      4,5(46)Abgeben

      SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2018 Bestselling author Simon Winchester writes a magnificent history of the pioneering engineers who developed precision machinery to allow us to see as far as the moon and as close as the Higgs boson.

      Exactly
    • 2018

      The Perfectionists

      • 576 Seiten
      • 21 Lesestunden
      4,1(231)Abgeben

      The revered New York Times bestselling author traces the development of technology from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age to explore the single component crucial to advancement - precision - in a superb history that is both an homage and a warning for our future. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in eighteenth-century England, standards of measurement were established, giving way to the development of machine tools--machines that make machines. Eventually, the application of precision tools and methods resulted in the creation and mass production of items from guns and glass to mirrors, lenses, and cameras--and eventually gave way to further breakthroughs, including gene splicing, microchips, and the Hadron Collider. Simon Winchester takes us back to origins of the Industrial Age, to England where he introduces the scientific minds that helped usher in modern production: John Wilkinson, Henry Maudslay, Joseph Bramah, Jesse Ramsden, and Joseph Whitworth. It was Thomas Jefferson who later exported their discoveries to the fledgling United States, setting the nation on its course to become a manufacturing titan. Winchester moves forward through time, to today's cutting-edge developments occurring around the world, from America to Western Europe to Asia. As he introduces the minds and methods that have changed the modern world, Winchester explores fundamental questions. Why is precision important? What are the different tools we use to measure it? Who has invented and perfected it? Has the pursuit of the ultra-precise in so many facets of human life blinded us to other things of equal value, such as an appreciation for the age-old traditions of craftsmanship, art, and high culture? Are we missing something that reflects the world as it is, rather than the world as we think we would wish it to be? And can the precise and the natural co-exist in society?

      The Perfectionists
    • 2018

      Sprachliebhabern und anderen Neugierigen öffnet Mister Moore mit seinem Büchlein Fenster in fremde Sprachwelten. Dem studierten Linguisten gelingt es auf unterhaltsame und liebenswürdige (und überhaupt nicht verstaubt akademische) Weise, seine Lust an Sprachen und seinen Sinn für ihre individuellen Merkwürdigkeiten mit seinen Lesern zu teilen.

      Mister Moores Wortgestöber
    • 2017

      Exploring the phenomenon of giant storms, Simon Winchester delves into the science and impact of these powerful natural events. He examines historical storms, their formation, and the cultural significance they hold. Through engaging narratives and expert insights, the book reveals the complex relationship between humans and extreme weather, highlighting both the awe and destruction brought by these forces of nature. Winchester's unique perspective offers readers a deeper understanding of storms and their role in shaping our world.

      When the Sky Breaks: Hurricanes, Tornadoes, and the Worst Weather in the World
    • 2017

      East Coast: Arctic to Tropic

      • 320 Seiten
      • 12 Lesestunden

      The book showcases the diverse and threatened coastline of the East Coast of North America, spanning over 5,500 miles from the Arctic Circle to the Florida Keys. It highlights the breathtaking beauty of remote areas like Greenland and Newfoundland, while addressing the urgent threats posed by rising sea levels due to climate change. Accompanied by Simon Winchester's engaging narrative on geological and climatic history, Jenna Butler's commentary contextualizes David Freese's stunning photographs, emphasizing the environmental risks facing both Canada and the U.S.

      East Coast: Arctic to Tropic