Marine Chronometer - Hardcover

Gould, Rupert T.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0900470178 ISBN 13: 9780900470172

Publisher: Littlehampton Book Services Ltd, 1978

Synopsis

This long-awaited new edition of Gould's seminal text on the development of the marine chronometer not only faithfully reproduces the original, but also includes the author's own extensive notes, made in preparation for a second edition. These amendments, additions and sketches are carefully placed to clearly distinguish them from the original text. The volume also includes an insightful Foreword by Jonathan Betts, as well as a new gallery of 65 images, comprising portraits, up-to-date photographs and black and white images from Gould's collection. First published in 1923, 'The Marine Chronometer' comprehensively outlines the earliest attempts to measure longitude. The definitive work of reference on the subject, it includes exhaustive discussions and diagrams of the important mechanisms, as well as details of their inventors. The first machines capable of accurately determining a ship's longitude were invented by Yorkshire carpenter John Harrison (1693-1776). Astonishingly, the craftsman was self-educated and had never served a day's apprenticeship to a clockmaker. This tome outlines the remarkable story of Harrison's marine timekeepers, which eventually won him the £20,000 reward offered in 1714 by the British Government for any means of accurately determining a ship's longitude. Gould also looks, in detail, at the inventions of other important scientists and pioneers such as Huygens, Thacker, Sully and Leibnitz, as well as the work of professional watchmakers including Ditisheim, Ulrich, Earnshaw, Arnold, Berthoud, Mudge and Le Roy. His fluent style and expertise allow the reader to understand technical matters that, in the hands of another writer, might prove less than clear.

About this title

Review:

'This is, though highly readable, an intensely technical work, certainly suitable for researchers or scholars. But do not be deterred: this book is an absolute joy.' --QP Magazine

'This is a book which contains so much of the history of horology and so much technical information that it should be on the shelf of every good horologist who takes his work seriously. It is also very good value for the price at which is offered to BHI members and I recommend it without reservation.' --Horological Journal

'The history itself, with the politics involved and passion for the craft, make for an enjoyable read regardless of prior knowledge' --International Tug and OSV

'This is a book which contains so much of the history of horology and so much technical information that it should be on the shelf of every good horologist who takes his work seriously. It is also very good value for the price at which is offered to BHI members and I recommend it without reservation.' --Horological Journal

'The history itself, with the politics involved and passion for the craft, make for an enjoyable read regardless of prior knowledge' --International Tug and OSV

About the Author:

Rupert Thomas Gould (1890-1948) was not a professional horologist, yet he researched and wrote 'The Marine Chronometer' in just four years, between the ages of 29 and 33. A true English eccentric and a veritable polymath, Gould made important contributions in an extraordinary range of subject areas, from early typewriters to the Loch Ness Monster, from antiquarian horology to the history and rules of the game of tennis. He was an early broadcaster on radio, giving weekly talks on the BBC's 'Children's Hour' throughout the 1930s; as a member of the 1940s discussion programme 'The Brains Trust' he amazed a national audience with his wide learning and photographic memory. Yet, his greatest achievements were horological: his restoration of the great Harrison timekeepers and his authorship of so many fine texts on the history of horology are his true legacy.

About this edition

• Publisher: Littlehampton Book Services Ltd
• Publication date: 1978
• ISBN 10: 0900470178
• ISBN 13: 9780900470172
• Binding: Hardcover