Gould's Marine Chronomter

[Nigel]

I looked for this book about 10 years ago. The only copy I could then find was an unbound version which I am finally binding in leather at a bookbinding class. It seems to be a printer's proof of a reprint by the Antique Collectors' Club. The plates and tables dont quite correlate with the text or the pagination, but otherwise it seems pretty complete.

I had a couple of days in bed with a bad back recently and read most of it. The description of these highly complex mechanisms is truely excellent, so why is it so hard to obtain despite reprintings?

Nigel
London

 

[Nigel]

I looked for this book about 10 years ago. The only copy I could then find was an unbound version which I am finally binding in leather at a bookbinding class. It seems to be a printer's proof of a reprint by the Antique Collectors' Club. The plates and tables dont quite correlate with the text or the pagination, but otherwise it seems pretty complete.

I had a couple of days in bed with a bad back recently and read most of it. The description of these highly complex mechanisms is truely excellent, so why is it so hard to obtain despite reprintings?

Nigel
London

 

[Fortunat Mueller-Maerki]

You say the book is excellent, it clearly is, and that is why it is so hard (and expensive) to get.

Gould, still is the best book on Chronometers. The von Bertele book is OK to, but not as thorough technically as Gould.

Many people like Chronometers so they want the book. It is allways available from the specialised horological booksellers, at a price. Shenton has a reprint for sale now for 145 UK Pounds.

The old laws of supply and demand.


Fortunat

 

[Jon Hanson]

I sold at least two reprints (different editions) on web horology and the nawcc emart within the last two years. I have a dup original but I have no idea where to unload it--maybe England where books bring more?

 

[Barry J. Fish]

Hello members,

I have observed that British bookseller lists of books for sale are many times more expensive than comparable books for sale here in the USA.

Why is that? Are the English more astute collectors, more intellectual, more technical than American collectors, or what?

Or, do the English simply value books more than US collectors?

Thank you.

 

[WatchDoc]

It might be of interest that a new reprint is being brought out next month

 

[doug sinclair]

Watchdoc,

Do you have any further details about how one might go about getting a copy of the reprint?

 

[Fortunat Mueller-Maerki]

Do you know who is publishing a Gould? reprint?

Fortunat

 

[David Thomas]

According to Amazon it will be published on the 15th March 2005 by the "Antique Collectors' Club" ISBN: 1851493654

Link to Amazon

 

[WatchDoc]

According to the ACC website, its due dec. 2004; its been in the planning for a long time.

 

[WatchDoc]

http://www.antique-acc.com/ACCUS/acatalog/ACCUS_Horology_218.html

 

[Fortunat Mueller-Maerki]

Tangentially related to this thread:

There is news that the long awaited major book exploring the life of Richard Gould and what he did with the Harrison Longitue Clocks is finally getting close to publication.

The current chief horological curator in Greenwich, Jonathan Betts (who many heard speak at the 2004 Ward Francillion Symposium in Portland last month) has written a major work, and it appears this will be published by Oxford University Press. Dat of publication is still uncertain.


Fortunat Mueller-Maerki
Vice-Chairman of the Library Committee

Sussex NJ