author
James Arthur
1842–1930
A self-taught mechanic, inventor, and early horology writer, this author turned a lifelong fascination with clocks and watches into an accessible survey of how people have measured time. His best-known work opens a window onto both the history of timekeeping and the collecting culture of the early 1900s.
1 Audiobook
Time and Its Measurement
by James Arthur
About the author
Born in 1842, James Arthur was of Scottish parentage and spent part of his early life in Ireland before moving to Glasgow, where he trained in mechanical and woodworking skills. He later built a successful career in manufacturing in the United States and became widely known for his deep interest in clocks, watches, and other devices for measuring time.
Arthur was not only a collector but also an enthusiast who studied timekeeping across cultures and periods. Contemporary accounts describe him as an inventor and traveler, and note that he assembled an unusually large collection of timepieces. That collection became important enough to be preserved in institutional archives and later associated with New York University.
His best-known book, Time and Its Measurement (1909), grew out of material published for a general audience and explains the history of timekeeping in a clear, curious spirit. For audiobook listeners and history readers alike, his work is appealing because it blends practical knowledge, historical anecdote, and the pleasure of looking closely at everyday objects that once shaped how people understood the world.