The Knibb Family Clockmakers - Ronald A. Lee Limited Edition 487/1000

The Knibb family was a family of very talented #clockmakers during the 17th and 18th centuries, the most renowned of whom was Joseph Knibb. The family consisted of Joseph, his younger brother John, his cousins Samuel and Peter and his nephew Jospeh.

Joseph began working in Oxford but later worked in London. He was admitted to the Clockmakers Company in 1670. His work was of such high quality that he was appointed as clockmaker to both King Charles II and to King James II.  In later life he moved to Hanslope in Buckinghamshire, where evidence suggests he carried on making clocks there as well.  He died at Hanslope in 1711.

Joseph was famous  for the quality of his work and his #technical #innovation.  He was renowned for the #aesthetic beauty and simplicity of his #clocks.  His work was  of a high quality but delicate, especially the plates that were slender and also the #wheelwork. He is credited with inventing the system of Roman striking which was developed to save energy, the tic-tac escapement, and probably the #anchor escapement as well.  He made many longcase and table clocks for domestic use and is noted for the slim and elegant proportions of both types.

An example of his work was auctioned in 2012 by Sothebys for the amount of £1,273,250.  The leading authority on English clocks, Herbert Cescinsky said that Knibb, "next to Tompion, must be regarded as the greatest #horologist of his time."

The Knibb family have not over the years received the recognition that was due to them and this book is an attempt to remedy that neglect. It has also emphasised the nuances of design associated with the Knibbs as a family and the apprentices employed by them.

    Hard cover: Very Good to Fine Condition. Blue cloth boards with gilt text against a red background on
               both the front board and the spine.
               No apparent wear along edges of boards. No apparent bumping to the corners. Minimal bumping to the
               Heel and the top of the spine.
    The dust jacket is bumped and creased along the top edge both front and back. Also the top left corner
               of the front of the dj is missing a piece approximately 10mm x 10mm. Covered with library plastic.
               The bottom of the dj is also bumped and creased albeit to a lesser extent than the top. There are two
               pieces missing on the bottom back of the dj. The bottom right corner is missing a piece approximately
               10mm x 5mm and the bottom left corner is missing a piece approximately 20mm x 15mm.
    Both the front and back fold-overs are creased.
               There are a number of small marks on the back cover.
               The spine is slightly chipped and creased both at the heel and the top.  There is a single crease that runs
                the full length of the spine.  There is a pink mark covered by a piece of tape over the The in the title.  
                There is a gouge mark approximately 60mm from the top of the spine that semi-obscures the K and the
               n in Knibb
    Text block is tight and intact. The contents are clean and bright. The top of the text block is coloured
               (blue) and there is approximately 20mm of fading of the colour adjacent to the spine.
    Published by The Manor House Press, Byfleet, Surrey, 1964
               Limited edition of 1000 copies of which this is 487
    Binding Condition: Tight.
    Overall Condition: Very Good to Fine.
    Size: 308mm x 230mm x 20mm
    187 pages

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