Riddle of the Compass 英文原版

The story of the compass is shrouded in mystery and myth, yetmost will agree it begins around the time of the birth of Christ inancient China. A mysterious lodestone whose powers affected metalwas known to the Chinese emperor. When this piece of metal wassuspended in water, it always pointed north. This unexplainableoccurrence led to the stone's use in feng shui, the Chinese art offinding the right location. However, it was the Italians, more thana thousand years later, who discovered the ultimate destiny of thelodestone and unleashed its formidable powers. In Amalfi sometimein the twelfth century, the compass was born, crowning the Italiansas the new rulers of the seas and heralding the onset of the modernworld. Retracing the roots of the compass and sharing thefascinating story of navigation through the ages, "The Riddle ofthe Compass" is Aczel at his most entertaining and insightful.