Books on Horology
Reid's 2nd Edition of the early 1800's along with three 1960's bound reprints being Derham 'The Artificial Clockmaker' of 1696 and two others of that period.
There have been thousands of horological titles printed from the 1500's onwards but being a subject of limited commercial interest most have had short print runs and little shelf life. The earliest examples include John Smith’s ‘Clockmaker’s Dialogues’ and Dereham’s ‘The Artificial Clockmaker’ from 1675 and 1696, both written as aides to the maker’s of the day for whom technical information in this relatively new science was fairly hard to come by. One of the first more widly printed general technical and historical books was ‘A Treatise of Watch & Clockmaking’ by Thomas Reid, the famous Scottish maker whose book ran to numerous editions from the early 1800’s.
G.H. Baillie's Original Card Index used for compiling the 1951 Clockmakers Company Library Catalogue, a copy of the Catalogue and his Bibliography published in the same year.
Shown below is a page from the catalogue and the relevant cards.
History of Clocks
There are many books on the actual history of clocks from the very basic to the deeply historical. The most used book for most clock collectors is the series of 'Old Clocks & Watches and their Makers' originally written by Britten in 1892 (commonly known as the ‘0’ edition) and which was reprinted with various alterations and with various editors up until the recent 9th edition. Not only do these books give a good history of clocks, watches and their types but there is a comprehensive listing of clockmakers. This listing should be used in tandem with two other books, both of which are pure lists of names, being ‘Clockmakers of the World’, part one by Baillie and part two by Brian Loomes.
Herbert Cescinsky & Percy Webster were prolific writers on both furniture and clocks in the first part of the 20th century and their 'English Domestic Clocks' is still believed by many to be THE book to have. It shows many designs of clocks as well as the various styles of hands and spandrels by which clocks can be dated. Although parts of the book are now slightly dated this is a good introduction to antique clocks.
H. Alan Lloyd was a collector who wrote a number of general books including the update of ‘Chats on Old Clocks’ by Arthur Hayden and the ‘Collectors Dictionary of Clocks’. Eric Bruton’s titles include ‘The History of Clocks & Watches’, ‘Clocks and Watches 1400-1800’, and the ‘Dictionary of Clocks & Watches’ and are all very good reading. More recently a number of picture books have been printed which show a limited range of each type of clock but are generally good value. One of the best of this type is 'The Collectors Guide to Clocks' by Derek Roberts.
Regional Clocks and Clockmakers
A few Out-of-Print Regional books local to the Westcountry
At the present time there seems to be regional books coming on to the market with regularity. Recently Michael Pearson's book on ‘Kent Clockmakers’, Jim Moore's ‘Bristol Clockmakers’, which followed on from ‘Somerset Makers’, and the well received ‘Norfolk Clocks and Clockmakers’ edited by Clifford and Yvonne Bird have become available.
But the rarer and out-of-print books are a study in themselves being laid out in so many different ways and being of such a diverse quality. Mason's book of Colchester makers is, along with Dowler's on Gloucestershire and Snell's Salisbury on clockmaker's, probably one of the most readable being not just a list but a wonderful history as well. Getting hold of a copy of the former is not that easy and neither is a small book by Hawkes, ‘The Clockmakers of Wigan’. Both books are a rarity in themselves but worth every penny of the cost to obtain. Some of the regional books are really just lists of clockmakers costing just a few pounds, such as the Warwickshire and Birmingham books and the various limited printings like Norgate's Directory of Hampshire makers.
As well as those mentioned other rarities in the regional book world include Smith’s second edition ‘Scottish Clockmaker's’ of 1903, Penfold's limited edition and numbered ‘Clockmakers of Cumberland’, and Haggar & Millers book on Suffolk clockmaker's.
Individual Clockmakers
In the individual clockmakers list there are again the famous books, those which are held in awe and those which are almost impossible to obtain. There may never be enough of ‘The Knibb Family of Clockmaker's’ by Ronald Lee to go around and surely the price of this limited printing will continue to soar. A thousand numbered copies were printed in 1963 and with Knibb clock’s themselves being such rarities so is the book and copies can cost up to £800. That other great clockmaker Thomas Tompion had a book written by R.W. Symonds in the 1950’s, which was luckily re-printed by Spring Books in the late sixties, although both editions are long out of print. Dr Vaudrey Mercer wrote three books on chronometer maker's which in themselves are becoming collectors items, ‘The Frodshams’, ‘Edward John Dent & his Successors’ and ‘John Arnold and Sons’. Recently printed is a wonderful book on Joseph & Thomas Windmills by J.A. Neale, which only leaves one or two of the famous makers in need of a biography. Some of the books on the lesser makers make the most interesting reading, Cave-Brown-Cave's book on Jonas Barber is fascinating, if not the easiest read, as is Pryce and Alun Davies's history of the Samuel Roberts.
The 'Huygans' Legacy' and 'Horological Masterworks' catalogues along with the extremely rare book on 'The Knibb Family of Clockmakers'
Clock Types
There are, of course, hundreds of books on individual types of clocks, but only a few that can really be called the standard in their field. Tom Robinson's marvellous book, 'The Longcase Clock' which is complemented by such titles as ‘The Grandfather Clock’ by Ernest Edwardes (which ran for four editions, each one containing different and useful information) and the various books by Brian Loomes. The most famous book written on just one type of clock is Charles Allix and Peter Bonnert's ‘Carriage Clocks, Their History and Development’ which is so sought after today. This is complemented by a number of others including Derek Robert's weighty tome and the now out-of-print ‘A Century of Fine carriage Clocks’ by Joe Fanelli and Charles Terwilliger. Wall clocks are well represented with Ron Rose's ‘English Dial Clocks’ and bracket clocks have a number of specialist titles going for them including Richard Barder's ‘The Georgian Bracket Clock’ and Dawson, Drover & Parkes definitive book ‘Early English Clocks’.
Catalogues and Exhibitions
Recently some of the best productions have been ‘catalogues’ for major exhibitions, although that term doesn’t convey the sheer magnificence of the works themselves. The two best are ‘Horological Masterworks’ printed for the Antiquarian Horological Society’s exhibition held in Oxford in 2003 and ‘Huygen’s Legacy’, printed for the Dutch arm of the society’s exhibition in 2004. The historical contact and photography in both catalogues is of the highest standard.
In 1951 the author and historian G.H. Baillie published a bibliography of all known horological books up until 1800 with a second volume due from that date until 1951. This second edition was not printed as at the time he was also compiling the Clockmaker’s Company library catalogue and the two works overlapped. These two documents leave us with a fairly thorough list of all available publications on clocks, watches and their makers.
