Auckland Libraries

Somewhat over inspirational biography of Eratosthenes. There are really nice illustrations of Eratosthenes technique for estimating the circumference of the earth, however. Also a new word, "betamist". A betamist is an especially trained walker, whose paces can be used to calculate distances. Alexander of Macedon kept a few, so he could map out the empire he conquered with reasonable accuracy.

Excellent children’s nonfiction book. The writing is creative and reads like a story. The details in both the text and images are amazingly accurate and make learning about Eratosthenes enjoyable. The book would be a great introduction to math concepts of measurement and geometry. The book could also be used to learn about ancient Greek and Egyptian culture.