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Peter Macdonald
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Big Ben: The Bell, the Clock and the Tower 1st Edition, Kindle Edition

by Peter MacDonald (Author), Tam Dalyell (Author), Tam Dalyell MP (Foreword) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 24 ratings
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Big Ben is perhaps the most famous clock in the world. This new book tells its story, from its conception in the 1830s, after fire destroyed the anicent Palace of Westminster, to its establishment as the national timepiece and the symbol of Britain up to the present day. Big Ben is a character, an icon known to millions through the film The Thirty-Nine Steps - in which one of the protagonists clings to the hands as he swings above London - but above all a masterpiece of horological engineering intended to set the time for Parliament. Designed and built by the most forward thinking of clockmakers, it represents the pinnacle of turret clockbuilding While the music of the bells is mellow and harmonious, its history was not. It took 25 years of bitter rivalry, backbiting and legal proceedings before the clock was finished. This engaging book tells in anecdotal style the story of the clock, reveals how it was named; how the music was composed; and how it was cast and how it is maintained up to the present day.
Previous page
  1. ISBN-13
    978-0750938273
  2. Edition
    1st
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Sutton
  5. Publication date
    November 1, 2004
  6. Language
    English
  7. File size
    1038 KB
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01LBOFSY6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sutton; 1st edition (November 1, 2004)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 1, 2004
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1038 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 24 ratings

About the author

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Peter Macdonald

Peter Macdonald

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
24 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

PastorShannon
5.0 out of 5 stars My son is loving it!
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2018
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I got this for my son who is 9 and obsessed with Big Ben. It is not a children's book but he is slowly working his way through it and even taking notes because he WANTS to learn!
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Ian Baines
4.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2021
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Read this book in conjunction with watching YouTube videos of Bib Ben to get a very good idea of how it works.
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BobbyA
5.0 out of 5 stars Very satisfying
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2020
Verified Purchase
Smart 7 year old had a very satisfying time putting this together
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Marjorie Kellner
5.0 out of 5 stars This is very good, if you're an anglophile
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2016
Verified Purchase
This is very good, if you're an anglophile! This book arrived on time and is in very good condition.
One person found this helpful
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R. Clark
4.0 out of 5 stars He's 13 and said that it was very interesting and he was glad to know more about the history of the clock ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2015
Verified Purchase
We bought this to accompany our grandson's birthday LEGO kit of Big Ben. We wanted him to have some background on what he was building. He's 13 and said that it was very interesting and he was glad to know more about the history of the clock and the tower.
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Karen Caldwell
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect!
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2010
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I got this as a present for my dad, who is a watchmaker. It was in excellent condition and exactly what I wanted.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Daniel Boeckmann
5.0 out of 5 stars Big Ben
Reviewed in Germany on May 20, 2021
Verified Purchase
Ein sehr interessantes Taschenbuch über die Geschichte von Big Ben, der Glocke der Houses of Parliament in London.
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Kim Chapman
5.0 out of 5 stars Small book only
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 9, 2018
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Smaller than expected but very informative
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N. Krushner
5.0 out of 5 stars interesting - very detailed
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 7, 2019
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great book
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 16, 2017
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I am very happy with this book
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H. Newell
3.0 out of 5 stars Nice book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 1, 2014
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This was brought as a gift for a teacher who had told the class that this was her most favourite London building, it had beautiful pictures and a lot of great information.
3 people found this helpful
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