Biography of the polymath, Lt Cmdr Rupert T. Gould (1890-1948), the man who, in the 1920s, restored the great eighteenth century marine timekeepers by John Harrison to their former glory. With his encyclopaedic knowledge, he studied and wrote on subjects as varied as scientific mysteries (e.g. The Loch Ness Monster) and horology (timekeeping).
Betts tells his tale very well. In addition to being a 'good read', Time Restored is a work of considerate scholarship; there are over 400 footnotes and six appendices including a bibliography reading list, and glossary. Most usefully there is a comprehensive index...Packed with information for the serious student of horology, there is also so much in this book for the general reader, especially those interested in social history.