“An utterly dazzling book” Jerry Brotton

“About Time is startlingly original” Patricia Fara

Since the dawn of civilization, we have kept time. But time has always been against us.

From the city sundials of ancient Rome to the era of the smartwatch, clocks have been used throughout history to wield power, make money, govern citizens and keep control. Sometimes, also with clocks, we have fought back.

In About Time: A History of Civilization in Twelve Clocks, I tell the story of timekeeping – and how it continues to shape our modern world. In twelve chapters, demarcated like the hours of time, we meet the greatest inventions in horological history, from medieval water clocks to monumental sundials, and from coastal time signals to satellites in earth's orbit. We discover how clocks have helped us navigate the world, build empires and even taken us to the brink of destruction.

Over the course of this global journey I demonstrate how each of these clocks has shone a spotlight onto human civilization, and show the very real effects clocks continue to have on everything from capitalism, to politics, to our very identity. This is the story of time. And the story of time is the story of us.

Editions available

Translations are due soon in Simplified Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese.

“‘About Time’ is an utterly dazzling book, the best piece of history I have read for a long time. From sundials in ancient Rome to astronomical, water-driven, mechanical and atomic timepieces used throughout history and across cultures, Rooney has written the definitive volume on these remarkable objects that give order to everyday life. A moving and beautifully written book” Jerry Brotton, author of 'A History of the World in Twelve Maps'

“Enthralling and important, ‘About Time’ takes us deep into the past and far into the future. This is a gripping and revealing account of time, and humanity’s changing relationship with it” Seb Falk, author of 'The Light Ages'

“People say time is money, but David Rooney knows better. In this information-packed swoop through history and into the future, he exposes time’s many identities along with the hidden agendas of clocks. Time is knowledge. Time is power. Time is faith. Time is destiny” Dava Sobel, author of 'Longitude'

“Abundantly clever ... lovely and engaging ... with myriad fascinations on every page” Simon Winchester, New York Times

“Fascinating ... it’s to Rooney’s credit that although he clearly knows a colossal amount about clocks, he wears his learning very lightly” Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times

“A fascinating volume on what clocks say both to us and about us ... full of riches ... a valuable intellectual journey at a moment ripe for contemplation” Michael O'Donnell, Wall Street Journal

“Not merely an horologist’s delight, but an ingenious meditation on the nature and symbolism of time-keeping itself. A striking success” Richard Holmes

“‘About Time’ is startlingly original ... Rooney is immensely knowledgeable and passionate about his subject. His engaging style should make this book, which carries valuable warnings about the future of humanity, a popular-science classic” Patricia Fara, Literary Review

“The measurement of time is a convenience, a jailor, a tyrannical device. David Rooney’s delightful and discursive work anatomises that tyranny. Page after page offers up instances of time’s ubiquity and its mercurial power to get into the interstices of the everyday” Jonathan Meades

“Insightful, globe-spanning … [Rooney] sets out to show that this ancient device is neither simple nor innocent, that clocks are designed with hidden agendas and ulterior motives, and that their influence on human societies and the human psyche has been more profound than we usually imagine” James Gleick, New York Review of Books

“David Rooney’s passionate enthusiasm for everything clock-related leaps off every page. The vivid writing, engaging stories and autobiographical details combine to offer a rich and generous picture of the history of clocks, from China and Japan to Central Europe, the Middle East and outer space. In clear, pacey and evocative prose, Rooney’s volume takes in ancient wonders and modern marvels, leaving us at once enlightened and moved” Ludmilla Jordanova, author of 'History in Practice'

“Clock-time has always oppressed me, and Rooney’s explorations of its use as a tool of power affirmed my unease about it in a spectacular fashion ... full of fascinating stories, histories and agendas” Jem Finer

“Fascinating … with [Rooney’s] book in hand, and an eye on the world that sustains us, we might just save ourselves” Jonathon Keats, Forbes

“A beguiling book that shifts enjoyably between the barely fathomable nature of time and historical anecdote” Alan Connor, Mail on Sunday

“A fascinating and sometimes frightening story ... Rooney weaves a convincing tale” William Hartston, Daily Mirror

“A dramatic historical tour of horology ... lovely, personal, idiosyncratic ... Go slowly when devouring this charming, intelligent, highly informative history” Kirkus, starred review

“A fascinating look at timekeeping devices throughout history and the societal roles they’ve filled ... a quick but thoughtful read ensuring you will never look at your alarm clock or smartphone the same way again” Booklist

“The author knows his subject intimately … a fascinating story about how clocks have not only kept the time for us but also defined the times we’ve lived in” Michael Taube, Washington Examiner

“Captivating ... a diverting way to spend a few hours of precious time” The Economist

“The proof that Rooney accumulates, of the clock’s mediation of capital, knowledge, empire, morality, identity – the building blocks of power and politics – is formidable” Uddalak Mukherjee, The Telegraph

“Rooney is an enthusiastic and well-informed guide, and doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of the story. Readers will gain newfound appreciation for what it means to keep the time” Publishers Weekly

“Takes readers on a fascinating journey into the past and the future of time-keeping methods and technology … [Rooney] reminds readers that clocks are not just critical to the progress of civilization but also in the waging of warfare” Arun Kumar, The Telegraph

“Highlight of the year ... ‘About Time’ is educational and entertaining in the best way; I would even go so far as to say its closest stylistic reference would be David S. Landes’s essential ‘A Revolution In Time’” Hodinkee

“Excellent ... Rooney’s book is a masterpiece in telling us how our lives, our very existence, became subservient to the dictates of time and its measuring devices ... Rooney is a master storyteller, and his narrative is a deceptively simple read” The Renaissance Mathematicus

“Dazzling ... beautifully written ... Rooney’s knowledge and passion for all matters horological shine out from every page” Antiquarian Horology

“Rooney has made horology accessible to all. I can’t recommend it highly enough and guarantee you will be talking about it for months afterwards” Timepiece