The Librarian Who Measured the
Earth by Kathryn Lasky
Have Genius, Will Measure!
A colorfully illustrated biography of the Greek philosopher and scientist
Eratosthenes follows his life as he becomes Alexandrias chief librarian,
writes the first geography book, and accurately measures the globes
circumference.
Personal Review: The Librarian Who Measured the Earth by
Kathryn Lasky
It is amazing how the union of art and words can produce a book so full of
wonders. How to count them? How to describe them? Perhaps the
bibliography is the place to begin. The writer Kathryn Lasky consulted nine
sources for the information incorporated into the story of Eratosthenes;
Kevin Hawkes, the illustrator, used sixteen.

Each double-page spread of illustration displays the artist's extensive
knowledge of all things Greek and Cyrenian (Greek city on the coast of
Africa in what is now Libya, where Eratosthenes grew up). Textile patterns,
Greek urn art, linens, palm trees, brick work, plant life, housing, clothing
styles, educational settings, musical instruments, mathematical counting
methods, colors, architecture, landscaping. These are just a few items
from the first few pages. The artwork is truly magnificent, yet part of the
story as information. His intense and deep bright colors match the intensity
of North Africa.
Lasky also pours information into the story, revealing pretty much what it
was like in Eratosthenes' day. As for Eratosthenes, Lasky notes in the
introduction that not much is known about his life, but much is known of the
Greek world, its people, and its culture. All Lasky had to do was place an
intensely curious child into the Greek setting to lay the background for the
development of this genius.
As a librarian, I was most impressed with the library in Alexandria and how
it was run. Being named head librarian was a real turning point for
Eratosthenes, as the library put at his disposal all the information he
needed for solving a long-time problem that occupied his mind: How big
around is the Earth? Finally, using methods over my head, Eratosthenes
determined the earth's circumference at 24,662 miles, just two hundred
miles off the correct figure. Solving this problem also meant concluding his
book, Geographica, the first geography book of the world.
Measuring the earth is but one aspect of Erathosthenes' life. As a student
in Athens, he was nicknamed Pentathlos because he was good in so many
areas of knowledge. Eventually, he became tutor to Ptolemy III's son.
This is one of those very special books for children that presents not only
a story of an admirable person, but also the absolute beauty found only in
the art tools of the most talented illustrator. Lasky and Hawkes have
created a must-have book for libraries, both school and home!
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