The Book of Times: From Seconds to Centuries, a Compendium of Measures

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Overview

An endlessly fascinating, beautifully designed survey of time—how long things take, how long things last, and how we spend our days

Our relationship to time is complex and paradoxical: Time stands still. Time also flies. Tomorrow is another day. Yet there's no time like the present. We want to do more in less time, but wish we could slow the clock. And despite all our time-saving devices—iPhones, DVRs, high-speed trains—Americans feel that they...

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The Book of Times

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More About This Book

Overview

An endlessly fascinating, beautifully designed survey of time—how long things take, how long things last, and how we spend our days

Our relationship to time is complex and paradoxical: Time stands still. Time also flies. Tomorrow is another day. Yet there's no time like the present. We want to do more in less time, but wish we could slow the clock. And despite all our time-saving devices—iPhones, DVRs, high-speed trains—Americans feel that they have less leisure time than ever.

In an era when our time feels fractured and imperiled, The Book of Times encourages readers to ponder time used and time spent. How long does it take to find a new mate, digest a hamburger, or compose a symphony? How much time do we spend daydreaming, texting, and getting ready for work? The book challenges our beliefs and urges us to consider how, and why, some things get faster, some things slow down, and some things never change (the need for seven to eight hours of sleep).

Packed with compelling charts, lists, and quizzes, as well as new and intriguing research, The Book of Times is an addictive, browsable, and provocative look at the idea of time from every direction.

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Editorial Reviews

Time.com
“This clever and entertaining compendium contains everything you’d want to know about the ticking away of seconds, minutes, hours, days, years, decades and centuries.”
People
“Fascinated by how we spend-and waste-our most precious commodity, journalist Lesley Alderman gathered the sometimes-surprising stats for her debut, The Book of Times”
JESSICA FERRI for Yahoo!
“A new book confirms what most of us already suspect-timing is everything. In The Book of Times, which was published in early February, Lesley Alderman, a health and finance reporter, compiled data from hundreds of studies to offer insight into how we spend our time.”
New York Post
"Brooklyn journalist Lesley Alderman collects hundreds of surprising surveys from around the world revealing how we spend our hours."
Parade
"It takes 31 minutes to walk off a brownie. Shocked? Relieved? That’s the kind of quirky knowledge Lesley Alderman serves up in The Book of Times, a compendium of surprising measurements of everything from love affairs to mental functions."
Iron Mountain Daily News
"The Book of Times is informative and entertaining and a marvelous way to while away the time on a business commute or a lazy afternoon."
Time Magazine.com
"This clever and entertaining compendium contains everything you’d want to know about the ticking away of seconds, minutes, hours, days, years, decades and centuries."
People Magazine
"Fascinated by how we spend-and waste-our most precious commodity, journalist Lesley Alderman gathered the sometimes-surprising stats for her debut, The Book of Times"
for Yahoo! - Jessica Ferri
"A new book confirms what most of us already suspect-timing is everything. In The Book of Times, which was published in early February, Lesley Alderman, a health and finance reporter, compiled data from hundreds of studies to offer insight into how we spend our time."
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780062074188
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Publication date: 2/5/2013
  • Edition description: Original
  • Pages: 354
  • Sales rank: 85,695
  • Product dimensions: 5.30 (w) x 7.90 (h) x 1.10 (d)

Meet the Author

Lesley Alderman is a writer and editor on health and finance. She cowrote the "Patient Money" column for the New York Times for three years and is a former deputy editor of Real Simple and staff writer for Money. Alderman has contributed articles to a variety of national publications, including Barron's, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, EverydayHealth.com, Parenting, Prevention, and Time Books. She edited First Impressions: What You Don't Know About How Others See You (Bantam), which was translated into twenty-four languages. Alderman is also a certified yoga instructor. She lives with her family in Brooklyn.

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