Janus: Papers of Joseph Needham as a historian of Chinese science, technology and medicine

Needham/NRI2/SCC6 contains:
<-- See earlier
19	Physics: Magnetism
20	Correspondence with Pavle Bidev on the Chinese origin of chess
21	Mechanical engineering: Miscellaneous
22	Mechanical engineering: Miscellaneous
23	Technology of animal power
24	Horological engineering
25	Enlargements of Joseph Needham's photographs showing 'walling, bridges, building technology, gardens, important tombs, hydraulic engineering, mostly not used in SCC Vol. 4, pt. 3'
26	Civil engineering: roads and walls
27	Civil engineering: building technology
28	Civil engineering: bridges
29	Civil engineering: Hydraulics
See later -->

More information

Please feel free to contact the repository.

Papers of Joseph Needham as a historian of Chinese science, technology and medicine

Title	Horological engineering
Reference	SCC6/24
Covering Dates	1960–1985
Extent and Medium	Paper

Content and context

Joseph Needham's file title reads 'Clockwork, Horol. Engg., misc > 70 [Dorothy Needham] > 2nd Edition Material'.

Needham/NRI2/SCC6/24 contains:

Joseph Needham's notes on '+16th Cent. Time Standard Cross-beat escapement and Rolling Ball Stand.'. These notes are possibly from a lecture by J. Burgi, but they are also marked von Bertele. The documents also include a letter from J. H. F. Wadsworth of Cambridge, providing references which arose during the lecture.
Creator: Wadsworth, J. H. F.
6 sheets; Paper.

1 May 1964–4 May 1964

Two letters from Dr. A. G. Drachmann of Lyngby, Denmark, about his review of Joseph Needham's 'Heavenly Clockwork' and other matters. Other matters discussed include a visit by Needham to Denmark; Drachmann's study of Icelandic sagas; Archimedes as a physicist. The documents also include related notes by Needham.
Creator: Drachmann, A. G.; Needham, Joseph.
5 sheets; Paper.

19 Feb. 1964–26 Mar. 1964

Letter from Francis Maddison of the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, about summarising information of scientific interest provided by a tulku lama from Tibet. Maddison met Chogyam Thongpa-Tulku when he came to Oxford. He provided information on the use of water-clocks in Tibet; a typical Tibetan sun-dial; an instrument like a camera-obscura; a revolving prayer wheel attached to a crank. The documents also include a sketches by Maddison of the sun-dial, an instrument for observing eclipses and the prayer wheel.
Creator: Maddison, Francis.
6 sheets; Paper.

20 Mar. 1964

Sketch of a striking mechanism of a clockwork copied by Thorkild Schioler from an 17th century Arabic manuscript.
Creator: Schioler, Thorkild.
1 document; Paper.

30 Aug. 1968

Letter from Eugenius [Prof. Owen Lattimore] of the Department of Chinese Studies, University of Leeds, about the doctoral thesis of David Lattimore on the significance of the poem 'Army Carts' by Tu Fu. The documents also include a copy of a section of the thesis; copy of Joseph Needham's reply; notes by Needham.
Creator: Lattimore, Owen; Needham, Joseph.
14 sheets; Paper.

24 July 1967–31 July 1967

Postcard showing a famous Prunkuhr in Heidelberg Castle, Germany, constructed in 1556 by Philipp Irmsser, and related notes. The postcard was 'from Arnold Koslow Sept. 1956'. The notes were made '2 Feb 63'.
Creator: Kowlow, Arnold; Needham, Joseph.
3 sheets; Paper.

Sep. 1956–2 Feb. 1963

Letter from Derek de Solla Price of Yale University, U.S.A., about possible references to the sphere of Archimedes discovered by Dom. Sylvester Houédard, and related document. The related document is a copy of Price's paper 'On the Origin of Clockwork, Perpetual Motion Devices, and the Compass', ('United States National Museum Bulletin', 1959).
Creator: Price, Derek de Solla.
34 sheets; Paper.

1959–4 May 1973

Letter from Dom. Sylvester Houédard of Prinknash Abbey, Gloucester, about the Holoviteurm of Augustus Chromatius, and notes by Joseph Needham.
Creator: Houédard, Sylvester; Needham, Joseph.
5 sheets; Paper.

26 Mar. 1973–22 Apr. 1973

Letter from Nicholas Lloyd of Caterham, Surrey, accompanying his trypescript of 'A Possible Explanation of the Mechanism of Su Sung's Astronomical Clock of 1090'. The documents also include a copy of Joseph Needham's reply.
Creator: Lloyd, Nicholas; Needham, Joseph.
7 sheets; Paper.

25 Oct. 1973–29 Oct. 1973

Letter from Silvio A. Bedini of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D. C., U.S.A., asking for Joseph Needham's advice on a clock made for the Chinese market by Robert Philip of London, (c. 1775-1800), and related documents. Bedini explains that the clock is from the Chinese Imperial Palace Collection. . The related documents comprise a photocopy of a page from Simon Harcourt-Smith's 'A Catalogue of Various Clocks, Watches, Automata, and other Miscellaneous Objects of European Workmanship..in the Palace Museum and the Wu Ying Tien, Peiping', (1933), describing the clock; 3 photographs of the clock; copy of Joseph Needham's letter of reply.
Creator: Bedini, Silvio A.; Needham, Joseph.
8 pieces; Paper and photograph.

15 Jan. 1974–4 Mar. 1974

Letter from N. A. Hudleston of Harrogate, Yorkshire, accompanying a postcard of a water-clock in the grounds of the Villa Borghese, Rome, Italy.
Creator: Hudleston, N. A.
2 sheets; Paper.

17 May 1972

Joseph Needham's notes from a lecture by John Combridge on 'Chinese Astronomical Clockwork (the differentiation of the editions)'. The lecture was given to Cambridge University Physics Society.
3 sheets; Paper.

16 Jan. 1975

Letter from John Combridge of Ilford, Essex, about his work on the history of horology in China, and related documents. The related documents comprise a copies of 2 advertisements by Westlloyd Waterhouse promoting their Chinese Water Clock; brochure for the Westlloyd Waterhouse clock; photocopy of a published letter from Combridge, about an ancient Chinese water clock in a temple in Fukien, China; copy of Joseph Needham's reply. The letter also originally accompanied a copy of Combridge's paper 'The Astronomical Clock Towers of Chang Ssu-Hsun and his kSucessors, A. D. 976 to 1126'.
Creator: Combridge, John; Needham, Joseph.
9 pieces; Paper.

26 Apr. 1974–20 Nov. 1974

Postcard showing frescoes in the Cathedral at Gurk in Kärtnen, Austria, dating from 1220. On the reverse, Joseph Needham notes 'In middle, the firmament Ezekiel on the left, with the wheels within wheels 'in the middle of the air',..'.
1 document; Paper.

1970–1979

Part of a letter from Donald R. Hill, about an article by Wiedemann on 'Musikautomaten' and a reference from al'Jazari showing the need for an escapement.
Creator: Hill, Donald R.
1 document; Paper.

2 Nov. 1971

Correspondence with André Wegener Sleeswyk of Gronigen, Holland, about the operation of the steelyard clepsydra, and related documents. The correspondence comprises 5 letters from Sleeswyk; copy of 1 letter from Joseph Needham. The related documents comprise draft of Sleeswyk's paper 'The Celestial River: The Problem of the Large Steelyard Clepsydra in Medieval China'; copy of a letter from John Combridge of Ilford, Essex, to Sleeswyk, commenting on the paper.
Creator: Sleeswyk, André Wegener; Needham, Joseph; Combridge, John.
31 sheets; Paper.

19 July 1974–21 May 1975

Letter from John Combridge of Ilford, Essex, planning a visit to Cambridge.
Creator: Combridge, John.
1 document; Paper.

30 Dec. 1974–2 Jan. 1975

Letter from André W. Sleeswyk of Gronigen, Holland, accompanying photographs of his reconstruction of a steelyard clepsydra. The model is held at the Needham Research Institute, Cambridge.
Creator: Sleeswyk, André W.
6 pieces; Paper and photograph.

11 May 1976

Correspondence with Dr. André W. Sleeswyk of Gronigen, Holland, about the publication of his paper 'The Celestial River: A Reconstruction', and related documents. Other matters discussed include Sleeswyk's visit to Cambridge and his demonstration of the reconstruction. The model was 'deposited in Cambridge in EAHoSL, 12 Jan 77'. The correspondence comprises 4 letters from Sleeswyk; copies of 2 letters from Joseph Needham. The related documents comprise a letter from Melvin Kranzberg, Editor of the journal 'Technology and Culture', asking Joseph Needham to review the paper for possible publication; typed information for referees for 'Technology and Culture'; copy of a letter from Needham to the Editor of 'Transactions of the Newcomen Society' recommending their acceptance of the paper, and accompanying report; copy of a letter from Needham to Dr. V. K. Chew of the Science Museum, London, advising him of Sleeswyk's work; Chew's reply.
Creator: Sleeswyk, André W.; Needham, Joseph; Kranzberg, Melvin.
18 sheets; Paper.

19 Aug. 1976–1 Feb. 1977

Letter from John Combridge of Ilford, Essex, providing notes relating to horological engineering for consideration if a second edition of 'Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 4, Part 2' is published. Attached to the letter are copies of 2 letters from Combridge to Dr. André W. Sleeswyk of Gronigen, Holland, commenting on his paper 'The Celestial River: A Reconstruction'.
Creator: Combridge, John.
4 sheets; Paper.

4 Feb. 1977–21 Feb. 1977

Two typescripts of André W. Sleeswyk's paper 'The Celestial River: A Reconstruction'. On one typescript, Joseph Needham adds to the title 'The Celestial River ?? [Steelyard Clepsydra of the Sui]; a Reconstruction'. On the other, he adds 'The Celestial River; a Reconstruction of Yuwen Khai & Keng Hsun, ca. +610]'.
2 pieces; Paper.

1976

Letter from Dr. André W. Sleeswyk of Gronigen, Holland, about comments on his paper 'The Celestial River: A Reconstruction' made by John Combridge of Ilford, Essex, and related documents. The related documents comprise a copy of a letter from Sleeswyk to Combridge, about his comments; copy of a letter from Sleeswyk to J. W. Butler of the Newcomen Society, about the publication of the paper in their 'Transactions'; copy of a letter from Sleeswyk to Denis Smith of Woodford Green, Essex, about publication of the paper.
Creator: Sleeswyk, André W.
5 sheets; Paper.

8 Feb. 1977–10 Feb. 1977

Letter from V. K. Chew of the Science Museum, London, about Dr. André W. Sleeswyk's paper 'The Celestial River: A Reconstruction'.
Creator: Chew, V. K.
1 document; Paper.

28 Feb. 1977

Joseph Needham's notes from a discussion with John Combridge, about an alternative [to André W. Sleeswyk's] reconstruction of steelyard clepsydra.
7 sheets; Paper.

11 Mar. 1977

Letter from Dr. André W. Sleeswyk of Gronigen, Holland, about entering the Rolex prize [with his model of the steelyard clepsydra].
Creator: Sleeswyk, André W.
1 document; Paper.

28 Mar. 1977

Copy of a letter from John Combridge of Ilford, Essex to Dr. A. W. Sleeswyk of Gronigen, Holland, about the construction of the steelyard clepsydra.
Creator: Combridge, John.
1 document; Paper.

26 Mar. 1977

Letter from Dr. André W. Sleeswyk of Gronigen, Holland, about John Combridge's suggestions for an alternative reconstruction of the Chinese steelyard clepsydra. The document also include a copy of a letter from Sleeswyk to Combridge.
Creator: Sleeswyk, André W.
4 sheets; Paper.

1 Apr. 1977–4 Apr. 1977

Letter from Dr. André W. Sleeswyk of Gronigen, Holland, about problems relating to his reconstruction of the steel-yard clepsydra, and related documents. The related documents comprise a copy of a reply from Phillipa Hawking on behalf of Joseph Needham; copy of a letter from Sleeswyk to John Combridge of Ilford, Essex, responding to his remarks on the reconstruction.
Creator: Sleeswyk, André W.; Hawking, Philippa.
5 sheets; Paper.

15 Apr. 1977–13 July 1977

Copies of 2 letters from John Combridge of Ilford, Essex, to Dr. A. W. Sleeswyk of Groningen, Holland, about the interpretation of Chinese texts for the reconstruction of the steelyard clepsydra.
Creator: Combridge, John.
3 sheets; Paper.

30 Apr. 1977–26 May 1977

Letter from Dr. André W. Sleeswyk of Gronigen, Holland, about the design of his reconstruction of the Chinese steelyard clepsydra, and related documents. The related documents comprise a copy of a letter from Sleeswyk to John Combridge of Ilford, Essex, about the differences in their interpretation of the Chinese texts; photocopy of a letter from Nathan Sivin of Masschusetts Institute of Technology, U.S.A. to Sleeswyk, clarifying points from the Chinese text describing the steelyard clepsydra.
Creator: Sleeswyk, André W.; Sivin, Nathan.
7 sheets; Paper.

27 Apr. 1977–13 May 1977

Letter from Prof. A. Rupert Hall of Imperial College of Science and Technology, London, about the publication of Dr. André W. Sleeswyk's paper 'The Celestial River: A Reconstruction' in 'History of Technology, 1978'.
Creator: Hall, A. Rupert.
1 document; Paper.

13 July 1977

Typescript headed 'Chinese Steelyard Clepsydra: (Provisional revised translation of the description in 'Guo-shi zhi', see J. Needham 'Heavenly Clockwork' pp.90-94)'.
5 sheets; Paper.

Nov. 1977

Photocopy of a diagram showing the transmission system of the Kai-Feng Clock of A.D. 1088. The document was sent to Joseph Needham by John Combridge.
1 document; Paper.

10 Dec. 1977

Copies of 2 letters from John Combridge of Ilford, Essex, to Richard Watanabe of Ontario Science Centre, Canada, about Watanabe's work on a reconstruction of an astronomical clock tower.
Creator: Combridge, John.
2 sheets; Paper.

9 May 1977–11 Dec. 1977

Cutting of a 'Guardian' article by Anthony Tucker entitled 'Just a second..you mean the clock's gone wrong' about the adding of an extra second to a day in order to regulate time.
1 document; Paper.

29 Dec. 1977

Letter from John H. Combridge of Ilford, Essex, about the publication of a response to Dr. André W. Sleeswyk's paper 'The Celestial River: A Reconstruction' in 'Technology and Culture'. The documents also include a copy of a proposed response; copy of a draft of Sleeswyk's reply to the response.
Creator: Combridge, John H.; Sleeswyk, André W.
8 sheets; Paper.

10 Nov. 1978–29 Dec. 1978

Correspondence with Prof. André Sleeswyk of Groningen, Holland, about the possibility of his spending a sabbatical year in Cambridge, and related documents. The correspondence comrpises 2 letters from Sleeswyk; copy of 1 letter from Joseph Needham. The related documents comprise a copy of a letter from Needham sent to Prof. Rubert Hall of Imperial College of Science and Technology, London, and the Secretary of the Newcomen Society, asking for advice for Sleeswyk to raise funds for his sabbatical; letter from reply from Hall; letters of reply from J. W. Butler and L. R. Day of the Newcomen Society; copy of a letter from Sleeswyk to Dr. R. P. Sloss of the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Cambridge, enquiring about a course in Chinese studies; copy of a letter from Needham to the President of Clare Hall, recommending Sleeswyk for a Visiting Fellowship.
Creator: Sleeswyk, André W.; Needham, Joseph; Hall, Rupert; Butler, J. W. ; Day, L. R.
13 sheets; Paper.

21 Jan. 1979

Copies of correspondence between John H. Combridge of Ilford, Essex, and Dr. Melvin Kranzberg of 'Technology and Culture' about the publication of a response to Sleeswyk's paper 'The Celestial River: A Reconstruction' in 'Technology and Culture'. The correspondence comprises copies of 2 letters from Kranzberg; copy of 1 letter from Sleeswyk. The documents also include a copy of a letter from Dr. John S. Mayor of Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, U.S.A., about Combridge's translation of 'Yu Hai'; copy of a letter of reply from Combridge to Major.
Creator: Combridge, John H.; Kranzberg, Melvin; Major, John S.
7 sheets; Paper.

30 Nov. 1978–23 Apr. 1979

Letter from Prof. André Sleeswyk of Groningen, Holland, about his wish to spend a sabbatical year in Cambridge, and attached documents. The attached documents comprise a copy of a paper by Sleeswyk entitled 'The 13th Century 'King Hezekiah' Water Clock'; copy of Joseph Needham's reply; postcard from Sleeswyk, thanking Needham for his letter.
Creator: Sleeswyk, André; Needham, Joseph.
18 sheets; Paper.

11 Apr. 1979

Draft of a paper by John H. Combridge entitled 'The Chinese Steelyard Clepsydra' for publication in 'Technology and Culture'.
Creator: Combridge, John H.
14 sheets; Paper.

30 Sep. 1979

Copy of a letter from John H. Combridge of Ilford, Essex, to Dr. Melvin Kranzberg of 'Technology and Culture' about amendments to his paper on The Chinese Steelyard Clepsydra'.
Creator: Combridge, John H.
1 document; Paper.

31 Dec. 1979

Letter from John H. Combridge of Ilford, Essex, about the publication of his paper 'Chinese Steelyard Clepsydra', and copy of Joseph Needham's reply.
Creator: Combridge, John H.; Needham, Joseph.
2 sheets; Paper.

21 May 1980–18 June 1980

Joseph Needham's notes from a lecuture by G. Manuel Doncel on '3 Horloges Mécaniques +13ieme Siècle'. The lecture was given at the 16th International Congress for the History of Science, Bucharest, Romania, 1981.
1 document; Paper.

1981

Correspondence with Dr. A. A. Mills of the University of Leicester, about his work on Newton's water-clocks and the fliud dynamics of clepsydrae, and related documents. The correspondence comprises 2 letters from Mills; copies of 2 letters from Joseph Needham. The related documents comprise photocopied pages from an English translation of a book by Isaac de Caus entitled 'New and Rare Inventions of Water-Works..', (1659); copy of Joseph Needham's reply.
Creator: Mills, A. A. ; Needham, Joseph.
13 sheets; Paper.

8 Jan. 1982–23 Feb. 1982

Photograph of 'l'Horloge de Bon-Anania, Fez, Morocco. Joseph Needham notes that this was 'from Anthony Turner'.
1 document; Photograph.

3 Dec. 1981

Copy of a published 'Addenda' by J. H. Combridge entitled 'The 13th Century 'King Hezekiah' Water Clock', ('Antiquarian Horology').
2 sheets; Paper.

1980

Copy of a review by John North of David Landes 'Revolution in Time: Clocks and the making of the modern world', (Harvard University Press). The review was published in the 'Times Literary Supplement'.
1 document; Paper.

6 Apr. 1984

Correspondence with Antonino Forte of Rome, Italy, about his work on the mingtang and the history of time-keeping, and related documents. The correspondence comprises 8 letters and 1 postcard from Forte; copies of 4 letters from Joseph Needham. The related documents are a copies of 4 letters from John H. Combridge to Forte, enquiring about his work; copy of 2 letters from Forte to Combridge.
Creator: Forte, Antonino; Needham, Joseph; Combridge, John H.
21 sheets; Paper.

4 Oct. 1983–13 Mar. 1986

Copy of an article by ??? [Pai Shang-Shu / Bai Shangshu] and ?? [Li Ti / Li Di] entitled «???????????» ['The Contributions of Chou Shu-Hsueh to Clockwork History']. The article was published in «??????» ['Studies in the History of Natural Sciences'].
1 document; Paper.

1984

Joseph Needham's notes on a models of water-clocks constructed by Nagae Masaru of Tokyo, Japan, and related documents. Needham made the notes during a meeting with Nagae at the Fairmont Hotel, Tokyo. The related documents comprise a plan of the model; 6 photographs of Nagae's models; letter from Nagae; copy of a letter from John H. Combridge of Ilford, Essex, to Nagae, about his work.
Creator: Nagae Masuru; Needham, Joseph.
12 pieces; Paper and photograph.

8 Oct. 1984–9 July 1985

Related notes and bibliograpical references.
12 sheets; Paper.

1960–1985

Joseph Needham's original file title.
1 document; Paper.

1970