Customer Reviews

Sundials: History, Theory, and Practice

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I found Rohr not to be as useful as the two other texts by Waugh or Mayall and Mayall. The other books are more clear and practical in the constructions of many different types of dials.

The only strength of the Rohr test is the explanation of (i) drawing hour lines on any surface so long as you have a rod shaped gnomen and (ii) the construction of babylonian and Italian hours. Even so the explanation of the babylonian and Italian hours could be better.

So the Rohr book would best be used as an adjunct to the other texts but if you are just starting out, buy the book by Waugh first then Mayall and Mayall and then perhaps Rohr if your library hasn't got it.

This book is another of the must-have's for anyone interested in understanding or building sundials. It has a lot of the theory behind how they work and how to make some of the different types of dials. I recommend this title highly!

This is an interesting book, but it is also a very complex one. It includes a brief history of sundials and a lot of pictures of sundials, but if this is all you are looking for this book is clearly much more than what you are looking for. Most of the book is concerned with the geometry of sundials and the stereographic projection of the sun's shadow onto vertical, horizontal or curved surfaces. Much of this information is conveyed in a chapter titled "Some Gnomonic Cosmology" which is as complex as this title indicates. The chapter on "Classical Sundials" is equally complex. It is not just devoted to pictures of classical sundials (although a number are included), but is mostly devoted to the stereographic projection of the sun's shadow on to the surfaces of many types of dials. I have some familiarity with stereographic projection, but nonetheless found this material bordering on the incomprehensible. I was forced to consult Wikapedia in order to get a clearer explanation of the features that were being discussed. I do not know if this is because the book was originally written in French and this therefore represents translation difficulties, of if the style is just not want a contemporary reader is used to.

I would recommend this book to people who are quite familiar with sundials and are looking for a more scholarly treatment. However, I do not think that it is a very good choice for a general reader because when you subtract out the more complicated material you are not left with very much. Hence, I am giving this book only 3.5-stars, but since fractional stars are not allowed I am rounding it up to four-stars.