Dear Jim,
I have just published a small book 'A Study of the Quadrant' that does have a
few pages about the Gunter device. It has just 6 pages describing their use and
functions with various photographs.
Your book on 'The Astrolabe' was very useful to me in producing my book. Thank
you.
, please reply off the Mailing List.
Thanks in advance for your kind help.
Mike Cowham.
m...@brownsover.orangehome.co.uk attachment: Diptych Dial.jpg---
https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial
To: Mike Cowham m...@brownsover.orangehome.co.uk
Cc: Frank King frank.k...@cl.cam.ac.uk; sundial@uni-koeln.de
Sent: Sunday, October 02, 2011 11:35 AM
Subject: Portable Sundials
Dear Mike,
I see that Amazon are claiming that your book
A Dial in Your Poke about portable dials and
suchlike
Dear Sundial Friends,
I have just seen the pictures by the BBC of two 'Portable Sundials' from their
'History of the World' series. I think that these are just two oddly shaped
flints; not sundials. What do you think?
Happy dialling,
Mike Cowham
www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects
Dear Sundial Friends,
I have been asked by Ian Butson, who is organising the Competition, to send you
all the following reminder.
Good Luck,
Mike Cowham.
British Sundial Society Photographic Competition.
Members are reminded that the closing date for the competition is the 28th
February
, cathedrals,
chateaux, drink some fine wines, eat some great food and generally have a good
time.
Please do join with us if you can.
Regards,
Mike Cowham.
---
https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial
movie of a sundial in San Francisco:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq8AX0btApw
Regards,
Mike Cowham
attachment: San Miguel Sundial.jpg---
https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial
globes or for ?
They are made by Gardman and they were selling two for £9.99, quite a bargain.
If any of you have ideas how these can be used in dialling, I will be pleased
to hear from you.
If you make something from them, I am sure that we would all like to hear.
Have fun,
Mike Cowham
make something from them, I am sure that we would all like to hear.
Have fun,
Mike Cowham.
---
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further details of the book, look on the BSS Website.
If I can help further, please let me know.
Regards,
Mike Cowham.
- Original Message -
From: McKenna mckennawe...@earthlink.net
To: sundial@uni-koeln.de
Sent: Monday, October 19, 2009 3:48 AM
Subject: looking for I.J. Kragten
Hello
Dear Jürgen, James Robert,
I really thought that my Monograph was on the BSS Website but when I checked I
did not find it. However, it IS available and you should contact Elspeth Hill
at BSS Sales elsp...@ehill80.fsnet.co.uk
It is BSS Monograph No. 4, Altitude Dials by Mike Cowham. Its price
'on Safari' to
contact me.
saf...@brownsover.orangehome.co.uk
I can then send you the full details.
Best regards,
Mike Cowham
---
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peculiar to the regions that they come
from.
Maybe in some other parts of Europe there are early dials on secular buildings
but none come to mind just now.
Regards,
Mike Cowham.
- Original Message -
From: John Foad
To: Sundial List
Sent: Sunday, March 22, 2009 10:18 AM
Subject
Dear John,
I am convinced that the picture is reversed. If you look at the hour
numerals you will see that they travel wrongly too - they should go clockwise
when seen from inside. Perhaps it is a picture of a Southern Hemisphere Dial?
;-)
Regards,
Mike Cowham
I just noticed
Dear John,
Thanks for the two further dials. I had forgotten about the Merton College
one. I had a quick trawl through my UK pictures but did not find any more.
Regards,
Mike.
Dear Mike,
The dial in the front quad at Merton College Oxford (SRN 0583, dated 1629)
has hours from sunrise -
Dear Roger,
I only had one response to my request for information about English dials,
pre-1800 showing hours from sunrise or sunset. Patrick Powers found the
vertical dial of c1660 at St Katherine Cree Church, London. This is
illustrated in the BSS Sundial Register. It clearly shows two
to All on the Sundial List.,
Mike Cowham---
https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial
PLEASE, no
attachments on Sundial. We don't all have broadband connections.
Yesterday's 'bundle' took me nearly half an hour to download and blocked my
incoming emails for earlier in the day.
Mike Cowham
Cambridge
---
https://lists.uni
and
illustrations that we have of the dial. I have hardly covered its history.
Regards
Mike.
--
I've also just learned from John Davis that Mike Cowham will have an article
on the dial in the June issue of the BSS
Bulletin
to help in your cause. Don't let petty-minded and
penny-pinching councils take any more fine museums away from us.
Thanks again for
your kind help,
Mike
Cowham.
Cambridge
UK.
this
fine and friendlyMuseum.
Thanks for Your kind
support,
Mike Cowham
Cambridge.
. This Leap Second thing is a similar
situation.
Regards,
Mike Cowham
Cambridge UK.
Dear Sundial Friends,
A rather nice Garden Dial was stolen fromthe grounds of
MyddeltonHouse inBulls Cross,Enfield (North London)in
March this year and naturally they are keen to recover it. Unfortunately
they do not have many details of the dial and only a few snapshots. The
dial was not
it out into space and it will work perfectly all of the time
(as long as it orbits in synchronisation with the Earth).
Regards,
Mike Cowham
Cambridge, UK
A ring dial (farmers ring) never works correct in
different latitudes.It just cannot be
constructedfordifferent latitudes at the same
Dear Fer,
Yes, you are right. Sorry for the
false information. I was only thinking in two dimensions, not three!
As you say, it is possible but inconvenient. Gravity make a mess of
everything!
Regards,
Mike
Your statement about using a sundial at another
place is correct for usual
;-) I have some pictures if anyone is
interested.
Mike Cowham,
Cambridge.
it. Something tells me
that they appeared in the 19th century or even later. Does anyone else
have any feelings about this? Even the British Museum question their
dial's age.
Regards,
Mike Cowham.
maybe could be of some interest for Mike or others. I found this page http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/epact
In reply to Claude Hartman's note about Gothic Numerals on
Sundials, I only recall having seen these on dials in Germany. However, as
far as Portable Dials are concerned Iknow of a few examples. One is
a brass dial mounted on the lid of a snuff box. Unfortunately it is
unsigned and even
? I think that earlier dials
were made in Nuremberg, possibly 1480,but as far as I know none
seem to have survived.
A Happy 2005 to All,
Mike Cowham,
Cambridge.
Dear Sundial Friends,
I am trying to find the earliest evidence
for sundials made in Europe with gnomons aligned to the Earth's axis. They
were commonly in use after about 1550, (e.g., Nuremberg diptych dials), but I
believe that there are much earlier ones. Rohr, in his book, believes that
Dear Sundial Friends,
I am trying tofind more information
aboutseveral early wooden pocket sundials. At least9 of
theseare known, (Portsmouth and Bury St Edmunds), coming from the same
area of Europe, possibly from the same workshop. They date from c1550.
They are turned from wood and are
I have just been asked the question to which I thought
I knew the answer, but now I am not so sure.
On English horizontal dials there are frequently two small
holes drilled in the dial plate at the point where the root of the gnomon
contacts the plate. The question is, 'What were the holes
will look
for the reference that you quote.
If any more information comes to hand about
any of these dials I will let you know.
Regards,
Mike Cowham,
Cambridge UK.
I
don't know if the Soldiers' Barrackssundial made it into Mrs. Gatty's book
or not but Mrs. Gatty was made awareof the sundial
are really worth following up.
Regards,
Mike Cowham.
- Original Message -
From:
Richard Langley
To: John Carmichael
Cc: Sundial List
Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2004 6:04
PM
Subject: Re: EOT + Longitude Correction
Table
I combined all of the corrections for the table I
Dear Sundial Friends,
Please let me introduce my new book about Portable
Sundials. Its title is 'A Dial in Your Poke'.
This hard-backed book is produced with 224 pages and over 300
illustrations in full colour.
The expected publication date isJune 2004. Special
discounts apply to
Dear John,
I believe that Melvillemade his gnomons such
that they have two tangs that poke through the slate. These are then each
bent in opposite directions. I am sure that he would not have used screws.
I can send you photographs if that helps.
Regards,Mike CowhamCambridge
UK
I'm
.
(Mike
Cowham, where did you get version you sent
me?)
to arrive in the dark and
depart before dawn for our flight so have never got around to photographing
it and it is of no use for timing our departures! It does not seem to be in
the 2000 Register but I am sure that someone will have reported it by now,
Regards,
Mike Cowham.
Cambridge UK.
-
material.
Try it first on a spare piece of stainless! It certainly works with silver.
Regards
Mike Cowham
Cambridge UK
This is a question for the experts who work with metal materials for
sundials. There is a large (about 10 feet high) sundial located in Forest
Park in St. Louis, MO
Dear Thad,
Thanks for the information about
your dial. Unless it is reasonably different to what has gone before (in
antiquity) then it is probably not what I am looking for. I will be in
touch again when I get a few more replies.
Regards,Mike CowhamCambridge
UK
I made a ring dial
Dear Shadow Watchers,
I am currently looking for a few
examples of modern pocket dials to illustrate something that I
am writing. I do not want to useof reproductions of older
dials but am looking for something new that you may have designed.
If you are able to help then
please send me
better lenses are introduced I can see little benefit in going to
higher resolutions.
I could go on all day, but I hope that these comments help you. If you
need any shots sending or want more information, then please ask.
Regards,
Mike Cowham
Cambridge UK
- Original Message -
From
Dear Peter Fred,
Many thanks for your information about this book. I had not realised
that a modern copy has or had been available. It seems from what you say
that these are as scarce as the originals which now cost over £200, so at
$80 this one seems reasonable.
Regards,
Mike Cowham
I have just traced what appears to be a 'new' copy,
paperback,of 'The Book of Sundials' by Eden Lloyd [1900 ed] which
may possibly be a recent reprint.
Does anyone know if this has been reprinted and if
so by whom? It is possible that this one is a one off done on a laser
printer - I have
Dear Mike,
It shows that there is very
little new in the world! George Higgs made these dials with the assistance
of David Gulland in Dumfries for several years. And very nice they are
too. I have one in my SW window and it reallyis spot on time.
It hangs between the primary and secondary
Dear Dialling Friends,
I have been trying to locate the
famous? cartoon of a servant carrying a sundial on its pedestal to his master,
who has just asked him to 'Bring me the time'. I
am sure that I have seen it in more than one book but am unable to locate it
just now. Any ideas?
Dear Dialmakers,
I have tried John Carmichael's recommendations for creating PDF files
and I can certainly recommend the program. It will copy anything from your
screen in PDF format. It seems ideal for sending 'odd' documents over the
Internet.
Regards,
Mike Cowham
Cambridge, UK
Dear Friends,
Thanks to all of you who have
made useful suggestions about how to construct the dial in The Gambia and have
suggested suitable materials. There were some good ideas suggested and I
will considerthem very carefully.
As several of you have requested
a photograph of the
Dear Friends,
I seem to have talked myself
into making a dial in The Gambia, about 13° north of the Equator. The
design is fairly straight forward. In brief it is to sit on the ground on
the south side of the swimming pool at the hotel. It will recline so as to
be visible from the
- between swims in the
warm Atlantic.
We are also involved with a school there, but vertical dials are of no
use between the tropics. Has anyone tried an annalemmatic dial at this sort
of latitude?
Regards,
Mike Cowham.
Cambridge, UK.
have a feeling that excessively tall buildings will be a thing
of the past from now on.
Recent TV pictures from
helicopters have shown that the ground at the site was
illuminated by the sun, (no time stated), so at least it would work
especially in the summer months.
Regards,
Mike Cowham
In message [EMAIL PROTECTED], Thierry van Steenberghe
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes
I had heard of this explanation too, but if it works for VIII, , it
doesn't for some other vertically symetric pairs:
I and XI ??
II and X ok
III and IX ok
and VIIIok
V and VII
be other reasons too, but this one is OK for me.
Regards,
Mike Cowham.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cambridge, UK.
astrolabe that anyone can own - if they can find one.
Good hunting!
Regards,
Mike Cowham.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cambridge, UK.
Please forgive this message to the whole List but I have been unable to
contact Daniel VERSCHATSE separately.
Daniel please give me your Email address. The address given does not
seem to work.
Regards,
Mike cowham.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cambridge, UK.
that the horizontal dial plate runs from about
04:30am to 07:30 pm, so if it is for South America it must be somewhere
fairly south.
If you would like a JPEG of the dial, please let me know (off
the list).
Regards,
Mike Cowham.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cambridge, UK.
Dear Diallists,
As I am the culprit for putting this photograph in the BSS
Bulletin, I feel that I must reply.
Firstly, I had not spotted that the gnomon was reversed. This
may even have been done by Christies if the gnomon had been detached
when they received it.
or Étiene-Jean) who is mentioned in 'Scientific Instruments of the 17th
18th Century and their Makers' by Maurice Daumas? I note that Daumas
makes no mention of Lefebure or Lefebvre.
Best Wishes to you All for 2001.
Regards,
Mike Cowham.
[EMAIL PROTECTED
Dear Font Experts,
I have now downloaded the 'JSL Ancient Fonts from the Internet.
A quick try shows that they are just great. Admittedly they are a
little ragged, but that is probably what their creator, Jeff Lee,
wanted to do. He is trying to re-create old fonts, isn't he? By the
We are just back home from a wonderful weekend in Cirencester. Our
thanks go to the BSS Council who organised it for us.
It was great to meet so many old friends, and to make some new ones.
We missed a few regulars who just couldn't make it - this time.
For those who have never joined us, you
Tom McHugh comes up with one Y2K problem.
Mine is amusing, and concerns some software that several of us
must have. It is the Home Planet software. (Actually it is a great
program, and those not having it should consider downloading from the
Net. It is FREEWARE).
Ask
Hello Frank,
There are scratch dials in several parts of Europe, but perhaps
not as commonly as in Britain.
Last year we toured France, and in several parts we came across
such dials. If you need to know their locations I can look them up for
you. I can even send you a few
point on the Earth for any date? This will be a
most important tool for anyone interested in Portable Dials or
Compasses.
Any help from any source will be welcomed.
Regards,
Mike Cowham.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cambridge, UK.
help with further information,
particularly pertaining to these two people, then I would be grateful to
hear from them.
When my research is complete, I hope to write up the details for
a future issue of the BSS Bulletin.
Regards,
Mike Cowham.
[EMAIL PROTECTED
Dear Sundial Friends,
A great idea of Mike Shaw's about Postmarks. I give it my full
support and commend it to you all.
Mine is already changed. See below.
Mike Shaw wrote:-
Several people commented, however, that e-mails have no postmark - unless
the contributor adds his/her
was kindly
acceded to, and accordingly the Dipleidoscope, as an article of
commerce, bears on it the name of the maker and proprietor, E. J. DENT.
Regards,
Mike Cowham.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
it was a bit of a washout in
the area of totality, but we here in Cambridge, UK, were able to stand
outside and got a fairly good 90% view through broken cloud.
Regards,
Mike Cowham.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
- assuming them to be accurate.
Thanks in advance to anyone who may be able to help.
Regards,
Mike Cowham.
Cambridge, England.
covering the UK. I can
possibly find you an old map if that helps?
Regards,
Mike Cowham.
dunces
hat for the next month.
Regards,
Mike Cowham.
Cambridge, UK.
.
Regards,
Mike Cowham.
Cambridge, UK.
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