Subject
Astronomical clocks -- France -- Strasbourg -- Design and construction -- Fiction Books
Best books
Mary C. (Mary Catherine) Rowsell
The silver dial, volume 3 (of 3)
"The silver dial, volume 3 (of 3)" by Mary C. Rowsell is a historical novel written in the late 19th century. Centred on the creation of Strasbourg Cathedral’s astronomical clock, it follows the blind mathematician-horologist Conrad Dasipodius as civic favor shifts, religious factions bristle, and rivalries threaten his work. Around him gather Burgomaster Niklaus von Steinbach’s household—steadfast Sabina, brilliant Radegund, and volatile Otto—alongside Bishop John, the Habrecht brothers, Dr. Bruno Wolkenberg, and the scheming Syndic Hackernagel. Expect artisanal craft, city politics, and tangled affections under the shadow of sabotage. The opening of this final volume finds Dasipodius reinstated and rapidly restoring order at the Dial, intent on finishing the Horologe by St. Laurence’s day while Bishop John quietly flags the risk of foul play. As Kaspar Habrecht’s carved cock is mounted and Radegund’s paintings advance, Hackernagel’s public standing collapses and Otto drifts, prompting a tense, intimate supper at the Burgomaster’s: Sabina’s silent devotion and Dasipodius’s guarded warmth flare for a moment before Radegund’s abrupt entrance snuffs it out. The narrative then shifts to Hackernagel’s manipulations—pressing Otto to disable the clock’s crowing cock to wound the Habrechts—only for Otto to reject the scheme and physically subdue him, forcing a promise. The stage is set for a completed masterpiece beset by personal grievances and a very real threat of sabotage.
Mary C. (Mary Catherine) Rowsell
The silver dial, volume 2 (of 3)
"The silver dial, volume 2 (of 3)" by Mary C. Rowsell is a novel written in the late 19th century. Set around the making of a great cathedral clock, it follows the mathematician Conrad Dasipodius, the gentle Sabina von Steinbach, the brilliant and volatile artist Radegund von Steinbach, and the vain Otto von Steinbach as pride, secrecy, and civic politics collide. The story turns on a concealed blindness, a lost letter, and the pressures of public fame, weaving romance and workshop intrigue into a historical drama. The opening of this volume centers on a single letter and its disastrous consequences. Radegund, handling a message from Sabina to Conrad, leaves it unsealed; Otto snoops, discovers the revelation that Conrad is blind, and engineers a public reading in the Horologe workshop, provoking Conrad’s stumble and head injury and forcing him to confess his blindness to his stunned team. Shaken, Conrad meets Sabina in the street and mistakes her shocked silence for rejection; he later seeks care from his friend Dr. Bruno Wolkenberg, who knows Sabina had privately confirmed the truth but believes she still loves Conrad—yet the letter goes missing, and suspicions deepen. Isaac Habrecht quells a near-riot among the apprentices after Otto tries to turn them against their master, while across the city gossip explodes and the Town Council convenes in indignation, leaving Conrad’s reputation and the great clock project under threat.
Mary C. (Mary Catherine) Rowsell
The silver dial, volume 1 (of 3)
"The silver dial, volume 1 (of 3)" by Mary C. Rowsell is a historical novel written in the late 19th century. Set in old Strassburg, it follows the gifted young mathematician Conrad Dasipodius as he takes on the rebuilding of the cathedral’s famed clock, while navigating class boundaries, civic pride, and a perilous secret. Around him orbit Sabina von Steinbach, the Burgomaster’s gentle daughter he loves; Otto von Steinbach, his vain rival; and Radegund von Steinbach, a brilliant, willful artist. Themes of ambition, love, jealousy, and the cost of genius drive this city tale of craft and conscience. The opening of the novel introduces Conrad’s rise under the mentorship of the Benedictine mechanist Chretei Herlin, the failure of Strassburg’s ancient cathedral clock, and the city’s contest to create a grand replacement. Though Herlin’s design is chosen, he soon appoints Conrad as his successor before dying, leaving the young man to lead the project. Meanwhile Conrad and Sabina fall quietly in love despite her father’s objections and Otto’s thwarted suit; they pledge to wait. Radegund’s celebrated painting hints at her fierce nature and interest in Conrad, and through the surgeon Bruno the reader learns of Conrad’s failing sight—a secret Radegund confronts him with at Herlin’s grave, driving him to despair as she vows to keep it hidden.
Recently surfaced classics