John Whitehurst was one of a select number of eighteenth-century men of science whose minds were as remarkable for their breadth as for their depth of knowledge. Although primarily remembered today as a notable clock maker from Derby - the town in which he lived and worked for over forty years - Whitehurst was also an instrument-maker, mechanical engineer, hydraulicist, home-improver, meteorologist, geologist, and contributor to the development of the steam engine. John Whitehurst FRS: Innovator, Scientist, Geologist and Clock maker presents a brief life of this talented and engaging man, drawing together his various achievements and his wide circle of acquaintances ? many of whom were fellow members of the influential Lunar Society. Much of his work has left an intangible legacy, except, of course, for his clocks and instruments. This side of Whitehurst has been described in great detail, as well as the clock-making of his family and his successors. Details are given of the many types of clocks that came from the Whitehurst workshops, from complex designs conceived for Matthew Boulton to simple hook-and-spike wall and watchmen clocks. The book's appendices include details on all known Whitehurst turret clocks and angle barometers, its known numbered clocks, and the firm's apprentices. Since his death just over two centuries ago, his other accomplishments have been largely neglected, and this book rehabilitates the reputation of a man whose ideas greatly influence the progress of scientific thought in the eighteenth century.
About the Author: Maxwell Craven was born in London in 1945, educated in the West Country and first came to Derby in 1966. Following five years in London from 1968, he returned to Derby and in 1982 after seven years at Derby Museum was appointed Keeper of Antiquities, a post he still holds. For over twenty years, he has lectured on Derby and Derbyshire topics and has produced more than fifteen books including The Illustrated History of Derby (1988), A Derbyshire Armoury (1991) and, with his friend and former colleague Michael Stanley, The Derbyshire Country House (1981, 1984, 1991). Craven and his wife Carole live in central Derby in a dwelling which they share with their daughter Cornelia and rather a lot of books.