BIG BEN: THE BELL, THE CLOCK AND THE TOWER
Book ID/图书代码： 12606004B09638
English Summary/英文概要： 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.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 大笨钟也许应该算得上是世界上最出名的一口钟了吧。大笨钟的设想是上世纪三十年代提出的，它自建成之后经历了两次世界大战，就这样渐渐地成为了全国性的大钟，也成了整个大英帝国的象征。《大笨钟》将讲述它的有趣故事。
大笨钟的钟声悦耳和谐，但是大笨钟的历史却不像它的钟声那么悦耳舒畅。甚至在大笨钟风风雨雨25年的建钟历程中，恶性竞争、诽谤、法律诉讼始终没间断过。英国国会一定要求大笨钟高度精确，而这样的精确度在职业钟匠看来是不可能的，因为就单单它的庞大体积而言，再加上大钟的指针完全暴露在外，听任风吹雨大，这一点是几乎办不到的。最后还是女王的御用钟匠师Frederick Dent与Edmund Beckett一位天才业余钟匠师做到了,他们把不可能办到的事做成了.但是大笨钟才用了几个星期,它的那个指示小时的钟就裂掉了,当然问题后来还是解决了,大笨钟也继续服役了一个多世纪,几乎再也没给大家添什么大麻烦。1924年,大笨钟第一次上广播，敲响了新年的钟声。虽然在一战的时候大笨钟“沉默”了一段时间，但是二战期间，大钟始终监守岗位，尽管钟身已遭炮击，它还是一如既往的发出钟响。大笨钟迎来了耳战的最后大胜利，而且自那以后，从每年的迎新年活动到伊丽莎白女王登基50周年大庆，大笨钟见证了许许多多个重要时刻、节日。
下院创始人，Tam Dalyell议员为这本精彩的小说做了序。
《大笨钟》为我们讲述了这座全世界最著名的大钟背后的有趣、耐人寻味的故事。书中有各种野史遗闻，也提供了如何参观钟塔和WHITECHAPEL钟厂------也就是大笨钟的诞生地---------的小常识，任何一个对这一英国最出名的大众偶像感兴趣的人一定会喜欢这本书。
Awards/获奖情况：
About the Author/作者介绍： PETER MACDONALD is the author of Eclipse, the bestselling guide to the 1999 eclipse of the sun. He has also contributed articles to Heritage magazine and other publications, and written articles for the british Astronomical Association. He lives in Harrow, Middlesex.
作者简介：Peter Macdonald曾写过一部畅销指南《日食》，指导大家如何观看1999年发生的日食现象。他还为《遗产》杂志撰稿，也为英国天文协会写文章。他现居米德尔塞克斯郡。
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Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE
Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE
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