San Antonio College Library

"This work attempts to convey a broad understanding of the physical principles underlying the workings of these quantum-based atomic clocks, with introductory chapters placing them in context with the early development of mechanical clocks. and the introduction of electronic time-keeping as embodied in the quartz-con-trolled clocks. While the book makes no pretense at being a history of atomic clocks, it nevertheless takes a historical perspective...

History of the Hour presents the first sustained and reliable treatment of how mechanical clocks functioned in cities and dispels many myths associated with the clock's history. For example, Dohrn-van Rossum argues that, in their race to display the grandest clocks, monarchs and princes were more responsible than merchants for introducing clocks into urban environments. This work also questions what is generally believed regarding the clock's invention,...