Automata

by Nicholas Foulkes (Contributor)

Richly illustrated with etchings, manuscripts, and old documents, this book retraces the epic tale of the automaton from ancient times up to the present day. Wondrous objects that are at once scientific and magical, automata testify to the technical research and inventiveness of their designers. In 1675, the astronomer and mathematician Christian Huygens invented the spiral spring that would play a leading role in the development of smaller and more precise watches, with highly complex mechanisms. The creation of more complicated wheelwork and the use of extremely meticulous spiral springs gave free rein to clockmakers’ imaginations, who invented animated objects that fascinated philosophers and scientists alike. Doctors, thespians and thinkers of the modern world all saw these increasingly lifelike wonderful simulacra of life. These articulated figurines were to inspire thought, science, literature, the performing arts and more. Continuing this tradition, the house of Van Cleef & Arpels has harnessed all of its designers’ talents to create an exceptional a fairy, whose movements celebrate the art of the inventors of past centuries. Immersed in its designer’s studio, the reader sees an automaton come to life. Automata is the most substantial survey of this popular topic currently available.

290 pages, Hardcover

Published May 23, 2017

Reviews

[Monica Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The worst I can say about this stunning book is that it is too expensive for me to own. I managed to find a copy from the library's very restricted section and went through somersaults to receive it. This is a topic with few books and this one is not only wonderfully researched but is written in an engaging style. I am in the middle of researching my next season for my children's history podcast on the History of the Robot. I would love more time with this book (and all of the rest of Foulke's collection) but it will be $100 if I do not return on time.

[Joseph Hirsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicholas Foulkes' "Automata" hits that sweet spot in showing how complex or simple clockwork toys can be, either maddeningly complex or ingeniously simple. These devices show a range of imagination and creativity, demonstrating everything from charm (devices like music boxes or dancing curios) to subterfuge and charlatanism (a supposed chess playing machine, sort of proto Deep Blue that was really nothing but a mannequin manipulated by a real flesh and blood chess player hidden in the machine's berth). Detailed crafts like horology are described in loving terms without getting bogged down in technical minutiae, and a range of different times, cultures, and beliefs are explored as they relate to the creation of mechanical devices that by turns fascinated, horrified, and finally bored everyone from fair-goers to attendants at royal courts.

Mr. Foulkes' accompanying text is lush and poetic, and will either strike the reader as charming or pretentious based on their own disposition. The works on display, the gadgets, devices, puppets, and objets d'art are less contentious fare, and are likely to break down the defenses of even the greatest cynic and rekindle a childlike wonder as the reader turns the glossy pages and goes from one radiant little bejeweled creation to the next. Recommended, though, only if you have a good library available to you or a budget for books that a lot of people might find prohibitively priced. These things can change on a dime based on which used bookstore uploads what inventory on any given day, but at last check a used copy of "Automata" in good condition was going for roughly $150 dollars. But if you've got the money to invest in clockwork jade scarabs or stickpins built to look like ballerinas who pirouette when a button is pushed, I'm thinking you can spring one or two hundred dollars for a book without batting an eye.