This week, we finally managed to install our new (not new ) item of furniture - a mid-18th Century grandfather clock. It's not bright and shiny like more modern ones, but a dark oak with a warm patina which the beeswax polish is drawing out. In order to set it up, we had to do a certain amount of research - how to hang the pendulum, where the weight went on the endless chain - and it got me thinking... where and when did certain divisions of time come from? The time periods which I have written either had household clocks or didn't, I have not written novels from the time of their invention. Clocks have been around for a long time, and the obsession with measuring time in an ordered fashion dates back to at least the ancient Sumerians. It was they who established a circular reading of time and, I imagine, the sixty seconds/minutes came about as much because it was an easy way to divide a circle as anything else. But it wasn't until much later that the precision of seconds ...
Hello Reader! I just thought I'd introduce myself, as well as explaining what is happening here on the Crowvus Book Blog every Thursday. My name is Virginia Crow and I've been writing historical fiction for the best part of a decade. History is not just an interest for me, it's a fascination. In the past few years, I've been delighted to discover such a fabulous network of historical fiction writers and I look forward to sharing some of their books and writings with you right here on the Crowvus Book Blog. On the weeks when there is no visiting author, I will be posting my own musings and adventures relating to the realms of historical fiction. You can find all my novels through the Crowvus website , or on my own website . I'm told they make for a great read! So ready yourself for the most amazing time machine in existence: Historical Fiction! Prepare for adventures and enjoy exploring the realms of the past. "You get to recognise a well-researched and written ...