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Alex wrote-

| Recently, Mike brought to our attention that a reprint of this book is
| going to
| be published and that they already cell it.
| Does any list member has the book (or has read it, or knows anything
| about its
| contents). If yes, could you please say few words on what it is really
| about?
|
| Before spending $50 I would like to know something about the book and
| I could
| not find out anything. My previous experience with buying books on
| chronometers
| was disappointing. I do not even mention the complete junk by Dava
| Sobel,
| but I also bought the book of Tony Mercer (descendant of a British
| chronometer-maker)
| which is completely void of substance.
| The only thing in this book which possible has some value
| is the (very incomplete) list of chronometer-makers in the end.
|
| So I would like to know at least approximately what is contained in
| the Gould book.
| Does he discuss any technical details about chronometers, or only
| tells the
| story (told million times) how Harrison invented them?

=====================

I wonder whether Alex read my note, in Navlist 3651, which said-

"Anyone interested in the history of navigation should have Gould's book. He
was the man who got the four Harrison clocks back into working order and
ticking once again. His book was written in 1923 and has had many reprints
since. It has clear diagrams of all sorts of shapes and sizes of movements.
He provides a good account of the longitude problem, and offers a much more
sober account of the Shovell business than Sobel does. My own copy is the
Holland Press reprint of 1978, which I do not recommend, as it's badly
bound, and the pictures are falling out."

But I can add a list of chapter headings, and page numbers, for Alex, so he
can work out for himserlf how Gould divides his attentions.

1. Introduction- the problem of findinglongitude at sea
      Part 1- the early history of the chronometer
19 The "Nuremberg Egg".
27 Early efforts to construct a marine timekeeper 1600-1760
40 John Harrison (part 1)
53 John Harrison (part 2)
71 Kendall and Mudge
83 Le Roy and Berthoud
105 John Arnold
116 Thomas Earnshaw
   Part 2- the later development of the chronometer
121 Preliminary note
135 The escapement
158 The balance spring
172 The compensation balance (part 1)
187 The compensation balance (part 2)
209 Miscellaneous mechanical developments
235 The modern chronometer.
253 Appendix 1 Chronometer trials at the Royal Observatory Greenwich
267 Appendix 2 An account of the going of Mudge's first timekeeper at
Greenwich, 1777
273 General index
285 Special index (to explanations of technical terms).

He includes lots of diagrams of these motions, drawn simply and clearly. But
to be honest, I found some of the explanations rather hard going. It's a
field in which animated diagrams would help a lot, and perhaps someone has
produced them.

Somehow, I think Alex will find that his $50 have been well spent.

George.

contact George Huxtable at george@huxtable.u-net.com
or at +44 1865 820222 (from UK, 01865 820222)
or at 1 Sandy Lane, Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5HX, UK.







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