Alexander CUMMING – The Elements of Clock and Watch-work…
A good copy of this rare and interesting work.
£495.00
Modern half calf with plain endpapers, 192 pages plus index, 16 folding plates, complete with the errata sheet that is missing in many copies. London, 1766.
The first English horological book of consequence to be written after Derham, and with good plates. Dismissed rather by Baillie, this work does have its faults but is well worth the effort in understanding the author who was not so much an inventor but an improver of others ideas, such as Ellicott’s pendulum and Mudge’s gravity escapement. Cumming also describes Mudge’s earlier improved deadbeat deadbeat escapement, plate 4, with almost no friction on locking. This has generally been confused with Mudge’s gravity, shown in plate 5, neither escapement being credited to Mudge, much to the author’s discredit.
Title page with repairs to a tear and a corner and some light foxing to some pages, but less than is usually found with this work.
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Description
Modern half calf with plain endpapers, 192 pages plus index, 16 folding plates, complete with the errata sheet that is missing in many copies. London, 1766.
The first English horological book of consequence to be written after Derham, and with good plates. Dismissed rather by Baillie, this work does have its faults but is well worth the effort in understanding the author who was not so much an inventor but an improver of others ideas, such as Ellicott’s pendulum and Mudge’s gravity escapement. Cumming also describes Mudge’s earlier improved deadbeat deadbeat escapement, plate 4, with almost no friction on locking. This has generally been confused with Mudge’s gravity, shown in plate 5, neither escapement being credited to Mudge, much to the author’s discredit.
Title page with repairs to a tear and a corner and some light foxing to some pages, but less than is usually found with this work.
