Whatever Happened to the Metric System? How America Kept Its Feet

American and European history is related through the pressures of measurement systems and their promoters and detractors. Marciano, the author of several reference titles (Anonyponymous; Toponymity) as well as books in the children's series Madeline, begun by his grandfather, here recounts the history of metrology—the science of measurement—to help readers understand why the United States is out of step with most of the world. This rather cheeky account covers key events in its evolution as well as the people who have tried to standardize, or keep from standardizing, the system over the past 400 years. The political drama and daily impact of the topic have divided cultures, religions, governments, politicians, philosophers, scientists, and academics in ways not commonly known. Marciano's often irreverent descriptions of many of the players in the effort to establish systems for distance, length, volume, weight, and temperature is both interesting and troubling. It seems that the author tries to engage readers by using recent North American vernacular and slang to describe people, behavior, and events from the sometimes distant past. The heavy application of savant instead of specific persons, disciplines, or areas of expertise may confuse readers who are not familiar with this use.