An interdisciplinary history of standardized measurements. Measurement is all around us--from the circumference of a pizza to the square footage of an apartment, from the length of a newborn baby to the number of miles between neighboring towns. Whether inches or miles, centimeters or kilometers, measures of distance stand at the very foundation of everything we do, so much so that we take them for granted. Yet, this has not always been the case. This book reaches back to medieval Italy to speak of a time when ...
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An interdisciplinary history of standardized measurements. Measurement is all around us--from the circumference of a pizza to the square footage of an apartment, from the length of a newborn baby to the number of miles between neighboring towns. Whether inches or miles, centimeters or kilometers, measures of distance stand at the very foundation of everything we do, so much so that we take them for granted. Yet, this has not always been the case. This book reaches back to medieval Italy to speak of a time when measurements were displayed in the open, showing how such a deceptively simple innovation triggered a chain of cultural transformations whose consequences are visible today on a global scale. Drawing from literary works and frescoes, architectural surveys, and legal compilations, Emanuele Lugli offers a history of material practices widely overlooked by historians. He argues that the public display of measurements in Italy's newly formed city republics not only laid the foundation for now centuries-old practices of making, but also helped to legitimize local governments and shore up church power, buttressing fantasies of exactitude and certainty that linger to this day. This ambitious, truly interdisciplinary book explains how measurements, rather than being mere descriptors of the real, themselves work as powerful molds of ideas, affecting our notions of what we consider similar, accurate, and truthful.
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Add this copy of The Making of Measure and the Promise of Sameness to cart. $33.72, like new condition, Sold by Books From California rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Simi Valley, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by University of Chicago Press.
Add this copy of The Making of Measure and the Promise of Sameness to cart. $63.46, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by University of Chicago Press.
Add this copy of The Making of Measure and the Promise of Sameness to cart. $72.00, very good condition, Sold by Moe's Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Berkeley, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by The University of Chicago Press.
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Seller's Description:
Very good in Very good jacket. Jacket edges are lightly shelf-worn. Cover of book itself has no visible flaws apart from some light handling wear. Top and bottom edges of spine are bumped, and spine is very slightly cocked, but binding is tight. Light scuff marks on fore edge and bottom edge of text block, not visible on edges of pages. Pages are clean and unmarked.
Add this copy of The Making of Measure and the Promise of Sameness to cart. $122.88, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by University of Chicago Press.
