You may have noticed that postings in our Proceedings have slowed down a bit over the last month. The Society has not dissolved. We are, however, in the midst of a few exciting changes. Please bear with us. One new feature that we will over time be adding to this site is a library of essential books on topics of Kircherian interest. The Society’s librarian, MeGo, is heading up the project. Each section of the library will be curated by a guest librarian.

Our first guest curator, Kircher Society Resident Automatist Dug North, has compiled a list of essential books on the history, art, and science of the automaton. Enjoy.

Bailly, Christian. Automata: The Golden Age, 1848-1914. 2nd ed. London: Robert Hale, 2003.

Do not mistake this large volume for a coffee table book with little substance. Christian Bailly recounts the history of seven influential French automata makers of the Victorian era, including Vichy, Roullet & Decamp, Phalibois, and Lambert. Within the hardbound 360 pages, the reader will delight in 150 color photographs and numerous black-and-white drawings and photographs. There are chapters dedicated to automata mechanisms and to the restoration of vintage automata.

Chapuis, Alfred and Edmond Droz, Alec Reid, translator. Automata: A Historical and Technological Study. Neuchâtel, Switzerland: Editions du Griffon, 1958.

Undeniably one of the most important works on the subject of automata, this book was translated from French to English. This 400+ page treatise covers it all: automata in antiquity; clocks with automata; jewelry with automata; mechanical pictures; mechanical toys; watches and snuff-boxes with automata; singing birds and mechanical animals; fortune-tellers and magicians; mechanical music and automaton musicians; automaton writers and draughtsmen; walking and talking automata; animated displays; fake automata; and robots.

Chapuis, Alfred and Edouard Gélis. Le Monde Des Automates: Etude Historique et Technique. 2nd ed. Geneva, Switzerland: Éditions Slatkine, 1984.

This work is widely regarded by the experts –– automata collectors, automata restorers, and automata book authors alike –– to be the most comprehensive work on the subject. This two volume set spans 720 pages and is probably the most technically detailed treatment of the subject. The book is in French, which may be a stumbling block for many readers, but the numerous photographs and mechanical drawings make it useful in any language. While this book is valuable in any condition and in either edition, be careful not to pay first edition (1928) prices for the 1984 reissue.

Frost, Rodney. Making Mad Toys & Mechanical Marvels in Wood. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., 2007.

Previously published under the title of Whacky Toys, Whirligigs, and Whatchmacallits, this is one of the top books on contemporary automata because it contains actual plans for the aspiring maker. The author’s projects have a wonderful vintage feel and his writing has a friendly, informal tone. The book provides complete plans for 14 projects representing very diverse themes. While not of the step-by-step variety of instruction, the book is filled with color illustrations and important construction details. This is a great gift for someone familiar with woodworking who wants to try their hand at a challenging and unique art form.

Hesketh, Derren A., Penny-In-The-Slot Automata and the Working Model. London: Robert Hale, 2005.

Focused on coin-operated automata from the 1860s to the 1970s, this is comprehensive reference to the type of automata one might have found in amusement parks, fairgrounds, and seaside resorts. These machines represent many themes including haunted houses, drunkards, executions, churchyards, fire-fighters, clowns, locomotives, fortune-tellers, and mechanical music. Targeted towards collectors and would-be collectors, the book includes a price guide and some 200 color illustrations. A rather expensive book, it is worth the price for its thorough treatment of a well-defined genre of automata.

Hiller, Mary. Automata & Mechanical Toys: An Illustrated History. 2nd ed. London: Jupiter Books, 1988.

Of the many out-of-print books on the history of automata, Hiller’s work is easiest to find and most reasonably priced. This book is a great entrée into the subject, covering automata from ancient civilizations, through Medieval and Renaissance Europe, all the way up to toys mass-produced from America. Along the way, the reader is taken on an important detour to the Far East where Japanese Karakuri are covered. This 200 page hardbound book is infused with nearly 200 black-and-white images, dozens of color images, and a useful appendix listing automata and toy-makers with images of their trademarks for identification purposes.

Nishida, Aquio. Automata: Movable Illustration. Tokyo, Japan: Fujin Seikatsu, 2002.

Written in parallel Japanese and English text, this book reminds us that automata cross all borders. Part journal, part sketchbook, part do-it-yourself manual –– Movable Illustration examines one artist’s process of automata creation and construction. The book manages to offer helpful advice to aspiring makers, while also serving as a portfolio of Nishida’s work. A little tricky to acquire because it was printed in Japan, the detailed plan drawings and full page color photographs of the author’s distinctive automata make this book worth the effort of acquiring.

Peppé, Rodney. Automata and Mechanical Toys. Ramsbury, England: The Crowood Press, 2002.

This book is an essential volume for its comprehensive coverage of contemporary automata. The book begins with a brief history of automata, before moving on to contemporary automata by pioneers such as Alexander Calder, Jean Tinguely, Sam Smith, and twenty-one of today’s finest automata artists –– many of whom comprise the UK’s famed Cabaret Mechanical Theatre. For those interested in making automata, the book covers tools, materials, techniques, and mechanisms. The reader will find plans for a mechanical test platform, many scale patterns, as well as advice on designing and painting one’s own automata.

Spilhaus, Athelstan and Kathleen Spilhaus. Mechanical Toys: How Old Toys Work. New York: Crown Publishers Inc., 1989

The line between automata and toys has never been clear, but the principles of engineering that animate them are the same. This book is an essential addition for someone with an interest in automata for its exploration of how mechanical toys work. The chapters survey the history of toys, material types, methods of construction, sound producing devices, and energy delivery systems. While not overly detailed in its technical descriptions, the reader sees many informative images of automata and toy mechanisms –– without their external coverings. Though the book is barely 150 pages, it is full of black-and-white and color photographs that one is unlikely to see anywhere else.

Wood, Gaby. Edison’s Eve: A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002

Originally published in the United Kingdom as Living Dolls, this book is immensely valuable to those interested in the history of automata. As suggested in the subtitle –– A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life –– the author explores the motives of those who have made automata, androids, and robots through the ages. Wood’s book is an incredibly well-researched account of humankind’s ongoing efforts to simulate, emulate, and duplicate living things in mechanical form. A rich intellectual and cultural history, this book provides a context for understanding why automata have been created in the first place.

About the Curator:
Dug North, Kircher Society Resident Automatist, designs and fabricates contemporary wood automata. His artwork resides in private collections both large and small. He is the creator and voice behind The Automata / Automaton Blog (AutomataOnline.com) –– a site dedicated to the interests of makers and collectors of mechanical automata and mechanical toys.