NAWCC Publications

New Clock Books

2 New publications from NAWCC. Special Member Price until April 30th!

In this new publication, Joe Katra has revised and expanded his previously published Maine data (NAWCC Supplement No. 17, 1989), often adding newly found genealogical and historical information on southern Maine clockmakers, plus expanded the scope of the work to include all clockmakers known to have actually produced clocks in the state...Maine clocks run the gamut from a crude 30-hour shelf or floor standing timepiece to a sophisticated 8-day three-train quarter chiming tall clock...Mr. Katra’s treatise is well illustrated, and the reader will enjoy seeing examples of these relatively rare and interesting horological products from Maine.
—Chris H. Bailey, curator American Watch & Clock Museum, Bristol, CT

Softbound, 8.5" x 11", 154 pages, some with color.
Members please place your preorder by April 30, 2008.
$24.50 member pre-publication price. No shipping charges. (Member Price only good until 4/30/08)
$32.50 non-member pre-publication price. Regular shipping charges apply.

The origin of this book dates to 1983 when the NAWCC Museum assembled a wonderful exhibit entitled, “The Shelf Clock in Pennsylvania.” This exhibit contained some of the rarest and most unique handmade clocks ever produced in Pennsylvania prior to 1850. This new book documents the clocks from that exhibit, with the added benefit of the unique insight that each of the authors brings to the topic...The shelf clock section of the book is divided into 12 geographic regions; the bracket clock section is organized by clockmaker...Movement comparisons, rarely found in most clock books, will appeal to the advanced collector...Anyone interested in early American clocks should buy this book.
—Bruce R. Forman, author Clockmakers of Montgomery County, 1740-1850

Softbound, 8.5" x 11", 135 pages.
Members please place your preorder by April 30, 2008.
$17 member pre-publication price. No shipping charges. (Member Price only good until 4/30/08)
$22.50 non-member pre-publication price. Regular shipping charges apply.

Origins of the Waltham Model 57 By: Ron Price

Boston: Cradle of Industrial Watchmaking

A Study of E. Howard & Co. Watchmaking Innovations 1858-1875 By: Clint B. Geller, PhD

An American manufacturing phenomenon. America's most important contribution to watchmaking history was the development and first practical demonstration of truly efficient mass production methods for watches. To understand this unique legacy, it is necessary to examine why technical know-how alone failed to achieve this end in England, a preeminent contemporary watchmaking center, and why efforts in the Boston area beginning around 1850 finally succeeded where earlier American efforts had failed.

A watershed event in American watch collecting";, the 2002 NAWCC Seminar, "Boston: Cradle of Industrial Watchmaking," brought together a distinguished group of scholars to address these and other intriguing questions. David Penney, past editor of the outstanding British periodical Antiquarian Horology, and Mike Harrold, prolific American horological author and Henry Fried Award winner, set the stage for reviewing the birth of the American industry by describing preceding developments in the United States and abroad. Together with fellow speaker George Collard, a leading student of early American watchmaking technology, David and Mike discussed the key innovations in production technology and labor organization that underlaid America's success.

The interplay between technology, marketing imperatives, and craft attitudes subsequently gave birth to a wide spectrum of uniquely American timekeepers. In extensively illustrated presentations, Ron Price, author of Origins of the Waltham Model57, and Craig Risch discussed how the particular features of these watches reflected the technical challenges and leading horological personalities of their day. Clint Geller's presentation on E. Howard and Co. was expanded and is offered here as a companion volume, as is Ron Price's Origins of the Waltham Model 57.

Henry Fried Award recipient Philip Priestley put the accomplishments of American watchmaking in a broader context by describing its international impact. Finally, former NAWCC 2nd Vice-President, and current National Board member, Tom McIntyre, put a human face on the industrial enterprise that was the Waltham Watch Company by providing viewpoints and vignettes of factory life.
                                                         Clint Gefler, Ph. D.

Bulletin Back Issues

Back issues of the Bulletin are available in limited quantities. Email or call (717-684-8261, ext 211) the Museum Shop for availability before ordering.  Please note which issue you want in the "Special Instruction" box on the order form.

See list of issues available