Date: Mon, 15 Jul 1996 02:27:39 -0400
From: "James K. Hedges" GoldenHour@AOL.COM
Subject: Re: Electric clocks/Bibliography
- To list members either interested in or knowledgable about Electric Clocks: In my pathetic and feeble efforts to learn as much as I can about electric clocks, I have so far found the literature available on this sub= ject to be rare, hard to come by and piecemeal at best. Thus, I have more or = less been condemned to learn almost everything about electric clocks in the sc= hool of hard knocks -- that is, by trial and error, by experimentation on my o= wn or others' clocks, and by viewing the marketplace in nauseating detail. = Have others had a similar experience? While the literature on other clocks se= ems abundant, it seems there is a dearth of material on this subject.
The following is a list of those publications which I myself have fo= und helpful on the subject of electric clocks, and I would like nothing bette= r than if anyone and everyone who is aware of additional books and publicat= ions would add them to the list and let it grow to something useful which thos= e of us interested could download and/or print. Obviously, the more complete = the information, the better, as the goal of this thread is to aid us in obtai= ning these writings. =0D
(1) "150 Years of Electric Horology," copyright 1992 by the Midwes= t Electric Horology Group of NAWCC, edited by Elmer G. Crum and William F. Keller. 101 pages devoted exclusively to electric clocks. Available fro= m at least the following places: Adams Brown Company, c/o Karen & Steve Petrucelli, 26 North Main St., Box 357, Cranbury, NJ 08512, Telephone (609)655-8269, Fax (609)655-8102; Merritt's Antiques, 1860 Weavertown Roa= d, P.O. Box 277, Douglassville, PA 19518-0277, Telephone (610)689-9541, Fax (610)689-4538;Timesavers, Box 12700, Scottsdale, AZ 85267, Telephone (800)552-1520, (602)483-3711, Fax (800)552-1522, (602)483-6116. =0D
(2) "Pastime," copyright 1993 by Philip Collins, and published by Chronicle Books, 275 Fifth Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. This book do= es not seem to be available from any of the usual clock suppliers, and pleas= e forgive me if I have missed it in the catalogs. Unless you are lucky eno= ugh to find this book in a bookstore, the publisher is the only place I know = of to obtain it. The book is about 60% devoted to electrics, and contains a= wealth of beautiful color pictures of many of these clocks. While the te= xt is short on technical information, it is full of fun surprises, such as a= photograph of the original Golden Hour clock packaging, and an outtake fr= om an old Telechron ad. this book is fun and, oddly, given its lack of verb= al content, quite informative. =0D
(3) "Advertising Clocks," copyright 1995 by Michael Bruner, and published by Schiffer publishing Ltd., 77 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310. While the book's subject material is obvious, it seems to focus a= bout 80-85% on electrics. Indeed, in the back it contains two technical supplements concerning Telechron motors and Synchron motors. The book is= full of lovely color pictures of advertising clocks and is a fun read. T= his book is available from Timesavers, supra. =0D
(4) "Clock Identification and Price Guide, Book 3," copyright 1983 = by Roy Ehrhardt and Red Rabeneck, published by Roy Ehrhardt, 10101 Blue Ridg= e Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64134. The inside front cover says to send orders= to the heart of America press, 10101 Blue Ridge Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64134= , Telephone (816)761-0080. This book is a compilation of advertising outta= kes, and while lacking detailed information about anything, can be highly usef= ul as an identifier and as an aid to placing a clock's time of manufacture. This book seems to cover about 30-40% electric clocks, which is a lot of clocks, as this book is dense with material. You may also find this book= available from Adams Brown Company, supra; and Timesavers, supra. =0D
(5) "Service Manual for Revere Clocks," a reprint of an original ma= nual for the electric Westminster chime mantel clocks made as a joint effort o= f Telechron and Revere beginning, I believe, as early as about 1932. There= is also a section on the Revere electric five-tube floor clock movement. Th= is is relatively short manual (24 pp.), long on technical information, and highly specific. But if that's a clock you have, it might be helpful. T= his is available from Merritt's, supra.; and Timesavers, supra. =0D
Many other clock books I own contain brief comments in passing about= this or that aspect of electric maerki, but none rises to the level of significance where I feel it should be included in a bibliography on the subject of electric clocks. "150 Years of Electric Horology" contains ma= ny different mini-bibliographies, almost one for each company, but nearly al= l of the references are to back issues of journals and magazines. Please, ple= ase tell me that there is a wealth of additional publications which I have no= t yet considered or found. If there were a bibliography ten times this siz= e, I would still deem it inadequate. --
Jim Hedges.
© Jim Hedges, Reproduction without permission prohibited , except for personal use.
Return to Horology-Books page
Return to Horology - The Index Main Page