Synopses & Reviews
For over 1000 years sundials have played an important role in regulating the daily life of mankind throughout Europe and the British Isles. Indeed the study of the art of constructing sundials, or the 'Art of Dialling', was a part of every scholar's education. Only with the coming of modern communications and the extreme accuracy of timekeeping equipment has the sundial been eclipsed as a scientific instrument and ceased to provide a useful service. This book describes and illustrates each particular class of dial likely to be found on buildings, in churchyards, public squares, private gardens and remote countryside locations.
Synopsis
Sundials were once highly important timepieces although now they more commonly appear as garden ornaments as the modern world demands greater convenience and accuracy. This concise study looks at each different class of sundial, including vertical, multiple, horizontal, equinoctial polar and other more unusual dials. The book begins with the history and development of using the sun to determine the passing of time, from prehistory to the Romans and Anglo-Saxons and the first publications devoted to the art of dialling from the late 16th cetury onwards. Historic as well as modern dials are discussed and illustrated, including those found on buildings, in churchyards, in public squares and private gardens.