In 2014 an Englishman knocked on my door. He introduced himself as a writer, working on a new title called ‘How the World Became Obsessed with Time’. He looked smart and sounded sharp, so I decided to give him a chance. We chatted for about 45 minutes on a subject he found fascinating; a small anonymous watchmaker from Australia taking on the Swiss heavyweights. Quite frankly, I forgot all about him and our conversation before the lift even hit the ground floor.
Until last week that is, when a customer mentioned that he’d read about the rebelde project in a book. “What book?” I asked. “The one written by Simon Garfield – the best-selling British author”, he replied.
Wasting no time, I went online and lo and behold, I actually found the book. To my shock and horror, not only was I mentioned, but Simon had wasted three and a half pages penning down our conversation. I even got myself on the top of the index: Hacko, followed by Harrison (George, the watchmaker), Hermes, Hillary (Sir Edmund) and Hitler (yeah, that one).
Of course, I could not bring myself to pay the full retail price of GBP 16.99, so I found a ‘used copy in good condition', for just US $4. I’m not going to spoil your enjoyment of what is said, but I would recommend that you do the same. The book is definitely worth a read.
Timekeepers is a vivid exploration of the ways we have perceived, contained and saved time over the last 250 years, narrated in Simon Garfield’s typically inventive and entertaining style. As managing time becomes one of the greatest challenges we face in our lives, this multi-layered history helps us understand it in a sparkling new light.
Timekeepers: How the World Became Obsessed With Time By Simon Garfield
ISBN: 978 178 211 3195
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