About the Size of It

Book excerpt: About the Size of It is a serious, but seriously funny book about measuring things. Readers will find out why an old Wellington boot is as important an instrument of spatial awareness as was ever invented; why a space shuttle's fuel tank has more to do with a horse's rump than rocket science; and why how tired your ox gets, how much water it takes to drown you, and how much you can hold in one hand while doing something else are all essential principles that explain how man has balanced and judged his world since the dawn of time. In part a case for the continued use of traditional measures, this book also celebrates the richness and commonality of systems from around the world, and how they were formed by the one guiding principle of measurement no one ever mentions: that most of us have better things to think about.