Thousands of books have been written on all aspects of clocks and clockmaking. Listed below are ones you might find particularly useful if you are trying to learn more about your clock or its maker.
Many of these volumes are now out of print and available only from used book dealers. We will be adding to this list as time goes on.
General
Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World, 2 vols., Baillie, G.H., and Brian Loomes. London: N.A.G. Press, Ltd., 1988. Volume I lists approximately 36,000 former watch and clockmakers from throughout the world, with their localities and dates, from the 14th century up to 1825. Volume II adds another 35,000 names, mainly post-1825 — a gold mine of information for identifying makers and establishing the age and nationality of antique watches and clocks.
Britten’s Old Clocks and Watches and Their Makers, Baillie, G.H., C. Clutton, C.A. Ilbert; New York: Bonanza, 1956 (7th ed.). 518pp, 182 plates and 40 figures, glossary of technical terms, hallmarks, bibliography, and a list of nearly 14,000 former clock and watch makers.
The Old Clock Book, Moore, N. Hudson, Tudor Publishing, 1936 (multiple editions). 330 pages, 104 photographs. A history of clocks from earliest times to the 20th century, with emphasis on American and English clocks. Contains a list of 4,598 European and American clockmakers and advice on care and repair.
The History of Clocks and Watches, Bruton, Eric. U.K., Grange Books, 2002 (reprint). 224pp, black and white and color illustrations. Traces the history of timekeeping from early civilization to the present.
European Pendulum Clocks – Decorative Instruments of Measuring Time, Heuer, Peter and Maurice, Klaus; West Chester, PA: Schiffer Pub. Co., 1988. 334pp, 730 illustrations. Studies wall, cabinet, and free-standing clocks from France, England, Holland, Scandinavia, and the German-speaking countries, with particular emphasis on French clocks.
The Clock Book: Being a Description of Foreign and American Antique Clocks, and a List of Their Makers, Nutting, Wallace; NY: Garden City, 1935 (reprints available). Profusely illustrated with 250 black and white photos and descriptions, plus lists of American and foreign clockmakers.
Revolution in Time: Clocks and the Making of the Modern World, Landes, David S. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1983. 482pp, illustrated. Explores why the mechanical clock was a European invention, the history of science and technique behind it, and the people who made clocks and watches.
Canada
Canadian Clocks and Clockmakers, Burrows, G. Edmond. Oshawa, Ontario, 1973. 506pp, profusely illustrated — a comprehensive examination of clockmaking in Canada.
Clock and Watchmakers and Allied Workers in Canada, 1700–1900, Langdon, John E. Toronto: Anson-Cartwright Editions, 1976. 195pp — a directory of clock and watchmakers in Canada from 1700 to 1900.
England
The Old English Master Clockmakers And Their Clocks, 1670–1820, Cescinsky, Herbert; Stratford: The New England Publishing Co., 1975 (reprint of 1938 edition). 182 pages, 275 illustrations — a guide to major British clockmakers of the eighteenth century and their work.
British Clockmakers & Watchmakers, Apprentice Records, 1710–1810, Moore, Dennis; Ashbourne, 2003. 367pp. Apprenticeship details of over 14,000 horological tradesmen extracted from tax records, including provincial names never previously published.
Bath
Watch and Clock Makers in the City of Bath, White, Dr. I; Ticehurst, 1996.
Birmingham
Watch and Clockmakers of Birmingham, McKenna, Joseph; Birmingham, 1986.
Buckinghamshire
Clock and Watchmakers of Buckinghamshire, Legg, Edward; Bradwell Abbey Field Centre, 1976.
Central England
Clockmakers & Watchmakers of Central England, McKenna, Joseph. 368 pages, 300 illustrations, 1 map, 2002. Covers makers in Birmingham, Coventry, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and Staffordshire, plus Uttoxeter case makers, Newcastle-under-Lyme movement makers, and Birmingham dial makers and painters.
Chepstow
Chepstow Clock and Watch Makers, Walters, Ivor; Chepstow, 1980.
Cheshire
Clockmakers of Cheshire, Appleby, Keith. 152 pages, illustrated, 1999.
Chester
Chester Clock and Clockmakers, Moore, Nicholas; Chester Museum, 1976.
Colchester
Clock and Watchmaking in Colchester, England, Mason, Bernard. Feltham, England: Country Life, Ltd., 1969.
Cornwall
Cornish Clocks and Clockmakers, Brown, Howard M. Newton Abbot, England: David and Charles, 1970.
Cumberland
Clockmakers of Cumberland, Penfold, John B. Ashford, England: Brant Wright Association, Ltd., 1977.
Derbyshire
Clockmakers & Watchmakers of Derbyshire. 256 pages, illustrated, 1998.
Devonshire
Devon Clock and Watchmakers, Ponsford, Clive; David & Charles, 1985.
Devonshire Clockmakers, Bellchambers, Jack Kenneth; Totnes, England: Devonshire Press Ltd., 1962.
Dorset
Dorset Clocks & Clockmakers, with a supplement on the Channel Islands, Tribe, Tom & Whatmoor, Phillip; England: Tanat Books, 1981. 234pp, illustrated.
Dunfermline
Dunfermline Clocks, Hudson, Felix; Dunfermline, 1982.
Exeter
Time in Exeter, Ponsford, C.; Exeter, 1978.
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire Clock and Watch Makers, Dowler, Graham; Phillimore, 1984. 230pp, illustrated with photographs and line drawings. Lists about 650 traced Gloucestershire makers, often with family history details.
Hamilton
Marking Time in Hamilton, Wallace, W.; Hamilton, 1981.
Hampshire
Directory of Hampshire Clockmakers, Norgate, Martin. Approx. 250 pages. A complete listing of Hampshire clockmakers, including the Isle of Wight, up to about 1939, with working dates and addresses where known.
Hertfordshire
The Clockmakers of Hertfordshire, Tyler, E.J.; Ticehurst, 1997. 40 pages.
Hull & East Riding
Hull and East Riding Clocks, Walker, J.E.S.; UK: Hornsea Museum, 1982. A well-illustrated exhibition catalogue including a directory of makers before 1900.
Kent
Kent Clocks and Clockmakers, Pearson, Michael; Mayfield, 1997. 320pp with 206 black and white illustrations, a map, and 13 color illustrations. Covers Kent’s early turret clocks and influential clockmakers, with a list of over 1,200 clockmakers from earliest times to the nineteenth century plus newspaper extracts relating to clocks and watches.
Lancashire
Lancashire Clocks and Clockmakers, Loomes, Brian; Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles Publishers, 1975. 184pp.
Leicestershire
Leicestershire Clockmakers, Daniell, John; Leicestershire, England: Leicestershire Museums, Art Galleries and Records Service, 1975.
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire Clockmakers, Walker, J.E.S.; Lincolnshire Libraries, 1995.
Lincolnshire Clock, Watch and Barometer Makers, Wilbourn & Ellis; Lincoln: Hansord, Ellis and Wilbourn, 2001. 196 pages, 45 plates, with detailed lists of Lincolnshire clock and watchmakers.
London
The Clockmakers of London, White, G.S.J.; Clockmakers’ Company, London, 1998.
Nantwich
Nantwich Clockmakers, Treherne, A.A.; Nantwich Museum, 1986.
Oxfordshire
Clockmaking in Oxfordshire, 1400–1850, Beeson, C.F.C., 1989 (3rd ed.). 193pp plus index, 37 plates. A facsimile reprint of the classic regional study, augmented by a biographical introduction and full index by A.V. Simcock, Librarian of the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford.
Norfolk and Norwich
Norfolk and Norwich Clockmakers, Bird, Clifford and Yvonne (eds.); Chichester: Phillimore, 1996. 223 pages, 123 illustrations. A well-researched volume recording details of over 1,000 Norfolk craftsmen, with many previously unpublished photographs.
Northern England
North Country Clockmakers of the 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries, Reid, C.L. 102 pages, 6 plates, 1925, published by the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Clockmakers of Northern England, Loomes, Brian; UK, 1977. 320pp, over 400 black and white photos showing the work of some 850 clockmakers.
Northumberland and Durham
Clockmakers of Northumberland and Durham, Bates, Keith; Northumberland, 1980.
Nottinghamshire
Clock and Watchmakers of Nottinghamshire, Mather, H.; Nottingham, 1979.
Salisbury
Clocks and Clockmakers of Salisbury, Snell, Michael; Salisbury, 1986.
Shropshire
Shropshire Clock and Watchmakers, Elliott, D.; Phillimore, 1979.
Somerset
Somerset Clockmakers, Bellchambers, J.K.; Torquay, 1969.
Somerset Clockmakers, Ramsgate, England: Antiquarian Horological Society, 1968.
Stamford
Stamford Clocks and Watches, Tebbutt, L.; Stamford, 1975.
Stirling
Old Stirling Clockmakers (including Those in St. Ninians up to 1900), Allan, Charles; Stirling: Charles Allan, 1990. 111 pages, illustrated.
Suffolk
Suffolk Clocks and Clockmakers & Supplement, Haggar, Arthur L. & Miller, Leonard F.; London: The Antiquarian Horological Society, 1974. 169pp plus folding map and 50 pages of plates with 131 black and white photo illustrations, plus a supplement with a further 13 illustrations.
Sussex
The Clockmakers of Sussex, Tyler, E.J.; The Watch and Clock Book Society Ltd. 40pp, black and white illustrations — a guide to the clock and watch manufacturers of Sussex.
Tiverton
Clocks and Clockmakers of Tiverton, Ponsford, C.N., Scott, J.G.M. & Authers, W.P.; published by the authors, Tiverton, 1977. 64pp including index, black and white photographs.
Warwick and Leamington
Clockmakers of Warwick and Leamington, Seaby, Wilfred A.; Warwickshire Museum, 1981. 64pp.
Warwickshire
Watch and Clockmakers of Warwickshire, McKenna, Joseph; Birmingham Pendulum Press, n.d. 57 pages with black and white illustrations and detailed lists of area clockmakers.
Westmorland
Westmorland Clocks and Clockmakers, Loomes, B.; North Pomfret, VT: David and Charles, 1974.
Wigan
The Clockmakers & Watchmakers of Wigan, 1650–1850, Hawkes, Arthur John; Wigan, 1950. 84pp, covering William Barker, Thomas Bridge, John Burges, Archibald Coats, Peter Fearnley, and Laurence Leicester.
Yorkshire
Yorkshire Clockmakers, Loomes, Brian; Littleborough: George Kelsall, 1985 (2nd ed.). 196 pages plus index, illustrated — a listing with biographical information on Yorkshire clock and watch makers.
The Old Clockmakers of Yorkshire, Dinsdale, N.V.; Clapham, via Lancaster, Yorkshire: The Dalesman Publishing Company, 1972. A comprehensive survey of Yorkshire clockmakers from earliest times to the 1860s, covering the progression of case, movement, dial, and hand styles, with biographical information on about 1,700 clock and watchmakers and 24 black and white plates.
France
Carriage Clocks, Allix, Charles; Woodbridge, England: Baron Publishing, 1974.
Dictionnaire des Horlogers Français, Tardy; Paris, 1972. 2 vols. in 1, 760pp, illustrated.
La Pendule Française (De l’Empire à nos Jours), Tardy; Paris, 1961. Covers French clocks from the Empire period through Consulat, Napoléon Ier, Louis XVIII, Charles X, Louis Philippe, Napoléon III, and the Moderne style up to 1925, with 290 illustrations.
Germany
Die Uhrenmacher des hohen Schwarzwaldes und ihre Werke, Bender, Gerd; Villingen/Schwarzwald: Verlag Müller, 1975.
Black Forest Clocks, Tyler, Eric John; N.A.G. Press, London, 1977. 120 pages, profusely illustrated in black and white and color.
Black Forest Clocks, Ortenburger, Rick; Schiffer, 1991. 266pp, black and white and color photos.
The Netherlands
Dutch Antique Domestic Clocks, Sellink, J.L.; Bronxville, NY: Clock Trade Enterprises, 1973.
Ireland
A List of Irish Watch and Clock Makers, Fennell, Geraldine; Dublin: Stationery Office, 1963.
Italy
Dizionario degli Orologiai Italiani, 1300–1880, Morpurgo, Enrico; Rome: Edizioni “La Clessidra,” 1950.
Russia
Watchmakers and Clockmakers in Russia, 1400–1850, Chenakal, Valentin L.; W.F. Ryan (trans.); Ramsgate, England: Antiquarian Horological Society, 1972.
Scotland
A Handbook and Directory of Old Scottish Clockmakers from 1453–1850, Smith, John; Edinburgh, 1903 (reprint New York: British Book Centre, 1975).
Old Scottish Clockmakers from 1540 to 1850, Smith, John. 97 pages, 1st edition, 1903 — the first book on Scottish clockmakers, with extensive biographical information.
United States
The American Clock: A Comprehensive Pictorial Survey, 1723–1900, Distin, William H., and Robert Bishop; New York: E.P. Dutton and Co., 1976.
Two Hundred Years of American Clocks and Watches, Bailey, Chris H.; Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, A Rutledge Book, 1975.
The Book of American Clocks, Palmer, Brooks; New York: The Macmillan Co., 1950.
A Treasury of American Clocks, Palmer, Brooks; New York: The Macmillan Co., 1967.
The Complete Checklist of American Clock and Watchmakers, 1640–1950, Edwards, John; Stratford, CT: New England Publishing Co., 1977. A list of more than 4,000 American clock and watch makers with locations and approximate working dates.
Cincinnati Silversmiths, Jewelers, Watch & Clockmakers, Beckman, Elizabeth D.; Cincinnati: B.B. and Co., 1975.
Connecticut Clock Technology of Joseph Ives, 1810–1862, Roberts, Kenneth D.; Bristol, CT: American Clock and Watch Museum, 1970.
Eli Terry and the Connecticut Shelf Clock, Roberts, Kenneth D.; Bristol, CT: K. Roberts Publishing Co., 1973.
Connecticut Clockmakers of the 18th Century, Hoopes, Penrose R.; New York: Dodd, Mead and Co., 1930.
Clockmakers of the Concord, Massachusetts Community, NAWCC Supplement #5; Columbia, PA: National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc., 1967.
New Hampshire Clocks and Clockmakers, Parsons, Charles S.; Exeter, NH: Adams Brown Co., 1976. 356pp, illustrated with over 550 black and white illustrations.
Clocks and Watches of New Jersey, Drost, William E.; Elizabeth, NJ: Engineering Publishers, 1966. 291pp, profusely illustrated. The standard reference on New Jersey clocks, with an alphabetical biographical directory of makers and photographs of cases and movements.
Pennsylvania Clocks and Clockmakers: An Epic of Early American Science, Industry, and Craftsmanship, Eckhardt, George H.; New York: Bonanza Books, 1955. 229pp, black and white illustrations. A detailed account of Pennsylvania tall case clocks and their European antecedents, their makers (including Benjamin Franklin and Matthias Baldwin), clock music and theory, identification, appraisal, repair and restoration, Pennsylvania watches and watch papers, and an annotated list of known watch and clockmakers in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania generally.
Clockmakers of Lancaster County [PA] and Their Clocks, 1750–1850, Wood, Stacy B.C. and Stephen E. Kramer III; New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1977. 224pp, with full-page illustrations of clocks, faces, movements, and original advertisements — a study of Lancaster County clockmakers and their work.
Chester County [PA] Clocks and Their Makers, James, Arthur Edwin; West Chester, PA: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 1997 (first published 1947). Still regarded as the most authoritative text on the subject, with information on every known Chester County clockmaker before 1840.
Shaker Clockmakers, Gibbs, James W. & Robert W. Meador; Columbia, PA: NAWCC Bulletin Supplement No. 7 (Summer 1972). 32pp, black and white illustrations.
Vermont Clock and Watchmakers, Silversmiths, and Jewelers, 1788–1878, Stinehour, 1970. 313pp, black and white illustrations.
Wales
Clock and Watch Makers in Wales, Peate, Iorwerth Cyfeiliog; National Museum of Wales, 1975 (3rd rev. ed.). 112pp plus 7 black and white plates.
Wales Clocks & Clockmakers, Linnard, William. 270 pages, illustrated.
A Comprehensive Account of Watch and Clockmakers in Cardiff, the Valleys and the Vale of Glamorgan. 80 pages plus a 44-page appendix, with figures, 1999. The appendix is a facsimile of a catalogue and price list issued by Howell Morgan of Blaengarw, circa 1900.
Trademarks
Clockmaking in Europe: German, Austrian, Swiss, French Trademarks, Kochmann, Karl; Concord, CA: Antique Clock Publishing, 1977.
Technical
Clock Repairing and Making, Garrard, F.J.; London: The Technical Press, 1950. 168 pages, 120 text diagrams and photographs. A practical handbook on tools, materials, and methods for cleaning and repairing English and foreign timepieces, striking and chiming clocks, and making English clocks, including a chapter on electric clocks. First printed in 1914.
Clock and Watch Escapements, Gazeley, W.J.; London: Newnes Butterworths, 1975 (and other editions). 168 pages, more than 300 line drawings — covers the mechanisms of clocks and watches, useful for craftsmen responsible for their repair and upkeep.
Practical Clock Escapements, Penman, Laurie. 248 pages, 400 illustrations, reprinted 2003. Covers the design, construction, and repair of virtually all escapement types, including anchor, brocot, deadbeat, Harrison’s grasshopper, gravity, pin pallet, pinwheel, and platform (cylinder and lever) escapements, plus a chapter on pendulums and suspensions.
La Bulle-Clock, Horlogerie Électrique, Belmont, H.L.; London, 1989 (in French). 154pp, black and white illustrations. Covers the history, manufacture, and repair of the Bulle electric clock.
Electric Clocks and Chimes: A Practical Handbook, London: Percival Marshall, n.d. 159 pages. Covers making electrical timepieces, synchronized clock systems, and chiming mechanisms.
Wheel and Pinion Cutting in Horology – A Historical and Practical Guide, Wild, J. Malcolm; Ramsbury, Marlborough: The Crowood Press, 2001. 253 pages, over 500 black and white photographs and line drawings. A step-by-step guide covering early wheel-cutting methods, the theory of wheels and pinions, practical instruction, and equipment both historical and modern.
Horology: The Science of Time Measurement and the Construction of Clocks, Watches and Chronometers, Haswell, J. Eric; E.P. Publishing, Yorkshire, 1976 (reprint of 1929 edition). 288 pages, profusely illustrated. A technical reference covering time measurement and recording, pendulums, escapements, trains and gearing, weight- and spring-driven clocks, striking and chiming mechanisms, calendars and alarms, electrical clocks, watch trains, balances and balance springs, watch escapements, mainsprings and fusees, keyless mechanisms, chronographs, repeating mechanisms, and chronometer trains.