• Measuring America

  • By: Andro Linklater
  • Narrated by: Alan Sklar
  • Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (66 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
Measuring America  By  cover art

Measuring America

By: Andro Linklater
Narrated by: Alan Sklar
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.62

Buy for $17.62

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

How we ultimately gained the American Customary System, the last traditional system in the world, and how Gunter's chain indelibly imprinted its dimensions on the land, on cities, and on our culture from coast to coast is both an exciting human and intellectual drama and one of the great untold stories in American history. Sagely argued and beautifully written, Measuring America offers readers nothing less than the opportunity to see America's history, and our democracy, in a brilliant new light.
©2002 Andro Linklater (P)2003 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This expertly written and eminently enjoyable chronicle is highly recommended." (Library Journal)
"Make room on the library shelf for the never-before-told saga of the survey that converted the vast wilderness west of the Ohio River into a commodity marked out for government sale." (Booklist)

What listeners say about Measuring America

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    30
  • 4 Stars
    19
  • 3 Stars
    14
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    17
  • 4 Stars
    10
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    19
  • 4 Stars
    10
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Sleep Aid

Very Interesting subject. 5 hour book would have covered it. At 11 hours the subject gets too drawn out to maintain your interest.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Measuring America

A fascinating listen for anyone of scientific bent who is curious about geography, weights and measures, and US history.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating!

Educational, but also full of great stories of people and politics. If not for a pirate, we would have established our country in metric units.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

As the son of a surveyor

I found this to be a link to my late father and his craft and art. I didn’t know the immense history behind our traditional measures. Even understanding their inefficiencies, I’m happy we’ve kept them.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Interesting Material, incredibly BORING

This book has fascinating material, however the author and narrator present the material in a horribly boring, uninteresting way. The book is basically lists of facts, and becomes difficult to follow after a while. I found my mind wandering off again and again, to the point where I had to continuously rewind in order understand the point he was making.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful