Time Telling through the Ages

by Harry Chase Brearley, The Perfect Library (Editor)

A history of timekeeping from the stone age through to American mass production, covering timepieces from the sundial and water clock through the key inventions driving advances in the accuracy of clocks and watches in both Europe and America. The book was conceived and sponsored by the Ingersoll Family as a celebration of their then 25 years of watchmaking.

218 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1919

About the author

Harry Chase Brearley was a writer for the Detroit Evening News and assistant business manager of the Detroit Journal. He was also manager for the Eastern Michigan branch of the Mutual Life Insurance Company for several years.

Brearley also represented the Exporters and Importers Journal and was secretary and treasurer of Search-Light Library until 1914. Partner Brearley Service Organization.

Source

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives quite detailed descriptions on many important parts and the history of inventions of clock and watch, as well as on former technologies of time-telling devices such as water clock. I also scanned through the Gutenberg.org copy of the book. Unfortunately the described mechanical parts of the clock are not found in the illustrations of the book, which could have helped explain these parts, of which mere explanations in text are certainly inadequate. Also there is a fairly major part of the book on the history of manufacturing and selling clocks and watches, or the stories of business companies in this industry, which I consider as not very interesting.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative and enjoyable relatively short book on time-telling throughout history. It covers the evolution from from sundials to water clocks to modern clocks/watches and includes a final chapter of reflections on the philosophy of time.