No other craft so brilliantly captures the magic of turning a handle, þicking a switch, or pulling a lever to see the unexpected come to life. Automata and Mechanical Toys is a book for anyone drawn to simple, entertaining mechanics. The book features 21 leading makers, each with a distinctive style. With 160 color photos and 100 delightful examples of the craft, the book is a feast for collectors and enthusiasts. A substantial section of the book is devoted to making automata mechanisms, ideal for novices or those wishing to learn new techniques. Illustrated, step-by-step instructions explain how to make a bearings box, which separately houses all the main mechanisms used in automata. The box can then be converted to any mechanism you choose. Rodney Peppé is a winner of the British Toymakers’ Guild Toy of the Year Award; he has had exhibitions of his work at the Victoria & Albert Museum of Childhood. He is also the author of Rodney Peppé’s Moving Toys.
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From the Publisher
No other craft so brilliantly captures the magic of turning a handle, þicking a switch, or pulling a lever to see the unexpected come to life. Automata and Mechanical Toys is a book for anyone drawn to simple, entertaining mechanics. The book features 21 leading makers, each with a distinctive style. With 160 color photos and 100 delightful examples of the craft, the book is a feast for collectors and enthusiasts. A substantial section of the book is devoted to making automata mechanisms, ideal for novices or those wishing to learn new techniques. Illustrated, step–by–step instructions explain how to make a bearings box, which separately houses all the main mechanisms used in automata. The box can then be converted to any mechanism you choose. Rodney Peppé is a winner of the British Toymakers’ Guild Toy of the Year Award; he has had exhibitions of his work at the Victoria & Albert Museum of Childhood. He is also the author of Rodney Peppé’s Moving Toys.
About the Author
Rodney Peppe is author-illustrator of over eighty children's books, and creator of Huxley Pig and Angelmouse for television. Rodney Peppe's Moving Toys was published in 1980, and this led to his toymaking. He rarely sells, but exhibits in one-man shows at venues including the V&A Museum of Childhood and the National Theatre.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
63 of 65 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Depending on what your interests are, this can be a valuable addition to your library. It is not for collectors, in my opinion, and most of the examples are on the "folk art" side: crude, kitschy, and sometimes even made of junk. There are profiles of a few builders who make complex automata demonstrating fine craftsmanship, such as the wonderful Keith Newstead and John Grayson. I would have preferred to have some detailed explanations of how some of their automata work, though. The REAL strength of this book is if you are beginning to make your own automata and would like to have a "kit" to experiment with. The book contains full sized plans for an experimenter's "kit" which is really nice. I have Robert Addam's "How to Design and Make Automata" and CMT's book, but they both only have crude drawings with no dimensions. I made photocopies of the parts and then used Xylene to transfer directly onto plywood and cut the parts out on a scroll saw, saving a great deal of time and giving me a nice litte platform for experimenting. This alone makes the book a must have for the beginning builder.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By Dug North
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is everything you could ask for in book on contemporary artistic automata.
Each chapter has a brief summary of the topic in question -- say tools and materials. Next, each chapter moves on to showcase the work of two or three automata artists with many pictures and a page or two of information about each artist.
The photographs of automata in this book are outstanding. You can really get a sense for the devices, their construction, and most especially, their finishes.
If you love automata, want to see more of them, and want to learn about some of the top automata artists in the contemporary scene, this book is a must-have.
15 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This has got to be one of the best books on the subject of automata and mechanical theatre. There are lots of great color pictures and diagrams to build your own automata. Worth the money!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Basic Instruction
I think I expected more, but upon reflection I realized that there was more than enough information for me to take it where I wanted it to go.
Published 1 month ago by I. Labrant
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Thorough
Well written with excellent diagrams and very thorough. I am thrilled with both the history offered and the instructions for constructing my own.
Published 5 months ago by Sue Arth
5.0 out of 5 stars
learning automata
I'm just trying to learn to make automata. I find this book the best that I've found so far, for beginning to understand the complexities of gears, cams and levers used in making... Read more
Published on September 3, 2009 by Robert Jeffery
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mechanical mayhem!
If you like this kind of thing - then you are going to love this book! The range of different toys is amazing and seeing them in a historical perspective is fascinating. Read more
Published on September 26, 2008 by Eric J. Robertson
3.0 out of 5 stars
Quite a nice book
The book certainly has nice and inspiring pictures of great automata. To a certain extent, some of the concepts of automata are defined. Read more
Published on June 12, 2007 by danny boy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Clear directions and eye candy too.
This is the best book on automata since Flying Pig opened it's doors. Peppe shows how to build your own test board of mechanical movement and provides examples of the best current... Read more
Published on November 7, 2006 by Jennifer L. Wolcott
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