[MR] Ancient Locks and Keys Book / Chest Books

[rmhowe]

Hi Guys,

Another one of my small projects has come to fruition.

In researching locks for some time I came across Lieutenant-General
Pitt-Rivers, F.R.S., 1883 book _On the Development and Distribution
of Primitive Locks and Keys.  On the web a sole copy I'd seen was $400.
My wife was, before her recent job cut, a cataloger at NCSU libraries
for 33 years, and managed to borrow me a copy of it from the Chicago
Public Library. It arrived wrapped carefully in paper and string.
After some experimentation I managed to clearly copy all the pages
most of which were detached and extremely fragile. The book was
literally crumbling to dust and in danger of being lost forever.

While the book varies between ancient, medieval, and modern primitive
locks produced in countries like Rome, India and China, the basic
methods have not changed in producing most of these locks in the manner
that was still used in the Middle Ages in Europe. If you wish to
make a wooden door lock there are the methods depicted. If you wish
to construct a medieval metal lock many of the methods are depicted
of how they work. It does not have specific plans. It does show
you clearly how each type of the locks work. It will allow you with
a bit of effort on your part to understand how they work, and to
build your own with that knowledge.

To this, Jack Thompson, of Thompson Conservation Laboratories,
and the Caber Press, also added "The History of Locks" by Anonymous,
another excerpt from the Cyclopedia of Useful Arts by Charles Tomlinson,
F.C.S., London, 1866, and I gave him a good start on a bibliography
on ancient to medieval locks I have found in my ramblings amassing
research on them over twenty years. That is not the only thing I
research but it's adequate for medieval purposes certainly.

What you have here is a combination of wooden and metal locks of
many kinds with references provided for those of you who are more
interested in pursuing further research on your own. If you find
more, please share it with me.

_Ancient Locks and Keys_ is vii + 68 pages and costs $10.95 plus
shipping
from the Caber Press. This one has a new ISBN 1-887719-13-X.

They may be had from:
Jack C. Thompson
Thompson Conservation Lab/Caber Press
7549 N. Fenwick
Portland, OR  97217
503/735-3942  (voice/fax)
tcl at teleport.com
http://www.teleport.com/~tcl/

My last project with Jack Thompson led to the reprinting of Johnston,
Philip Mainwaring: _Church Chests of the Twelfth and Thirteenth
Centuries
in England_. Originally in Arch. Journ. 64 (4), 1907. 68pp, 24 figs
& 25 b/w pls & folding figs, to which was added another series of plates
from a 1912 review of another book with highly carved later period
chests from subsequent centuries. viii + 111 pages illustrated with
measured parts and internal views sufficient for the average person
to understand how medieval chests were made and carved (even comes
with rubbings of the actual carvings). The title is misleading a bit.
The chests depicted have no religious motifs on them but are simply
survivals from four or five centuries that were used in churches for
storing vestments, and other valuable items. For the constructional
details depicted, and for the money, $12.95 plus shipping, you cannot
beat it for the money. In fact, the two articles alone cost me about
four times that much, but they were too good not to want to share.

Before I became permanently disabled I built a great deal of furniture
and cabinetry professionally (roughly 1000 pieces of furniture and
hundreds certainly of cabinets). I know a lot about woodworking
and furniture styles and I feel fairly certain you will be satisfied
with your purchases for the money.  I buy articles and books on many
subjects from all over the world, and I pay a lot for the information.

The book on English Medieval Chests (the spine title) has been very
well received and sells well for those merchants who carry it.

I don't usually sell anything anymore myself, but I ordered two dozen
Chests books to get them circulating in my SCA Kingdom of Atlantia.
They disappeared very quickly in a couple of days.

As for my making any other profit on these being reprinted, no I don't.

I simply believe that good information should be preserved and
distributed to new generations. Jack Thompson reprints a variety
of books on rare subjects at reasonable prices, so when I have a
suitable idea for a useful project I contact him. It's a part of my
service to the Society as an SCA Laurel. The fact that this kind of
information will increase the knowledge base for reenactors world-wide
is the goal I hope to attain. This is what I do to remain useful.

Jack also has books on Brewing; Iron and Steel - Forging, Hardening
and Tempering; Working Horn, Ivory and Tortoise Shell; Making old
Inks; Urushi (Japanese Lacquering); books from Denmark and France
on Tanning by traditional methods, and Leather Work that have been
translated into English, and many more.

Please order these from Jack at the address above. *I don't sell them.*
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If you are interested in metal and woodworking tools, even a cooking
cauldron and a folding grill:
The Mastermyr Find, A Viking Age Tool Chest from Gotland by
Greta Arwidsson is available for $18 plus shipping from:
Norm Larson Books,
5426 E. Hwy 246, Lompoc, CA 93436.
Fax 805-735-8367, Ph 800-743-4766
larbooks at impulse.net
Postage is $2 for first book (in the U.S.)
plus $.50 for each additional book to a maximum of $5.00.

There were originally 800 of these printed about twenty-two years
ago in Sweden (the book is in English). I looked for several years
for one myself. Norm Larson contacted the original author and managed
to get permission to reprint them in paperback. This is probably the
best collection of metal and woodworking tools from the medieval
period, all found in closely associated context. What likely
happened is that they were being transported across a watery
area, the boat overturned, and the weighty chest simply sunk in
the bog, which later turned into a farmable meadow. The measurements
of the tools and chest are all there. I kinda bugged Norm into
reprinting it. He had gotten the last fifty of the original 800 and
found they sold out very quickly. The fourth year I finally got an
original hardback from Sweden to supplement my paperback copy from Norm.
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Each of these books is a little treasure in itself.
Each's information is easily available to reenactors now.
I don't know any of you who does not need chests for feasting,
storing kit and costume, or simply seating. Now you have a book
on locks (with further sources) to go with them.

Master Magnus Malleus, OL, GDH, Atlantia © 2003 R.M. Howe
*No reposting my writings to newsgroups, especially rec.org.sca, or
the SCA-Universitas elist. I view this as violating copyright
restrictions. As long as it's to reenactor or SCA -closed- subscriber
based email lists or individuals I don't mind. It's meant to
help people without aggravating me.* Inclusion, in the
http://www.Florilegium.org/ as always is permitted.

It generally helps if you want to ask me a question to put an
* in front of the subject line. I read by list, not by date
generally. I am well behind on some lists' mail.