publications

Text Box: Odyssey DL Publications® will be producing a number of books to tie in with the Odyssey Dramatic Presentations®. Details of books available will appear on this page.

Text Box: LUNATICK ASTRONOMY® Research into the Astronomical Activities of the Lunar Society 3rd Edition By Andrew P. B. Lound The Lunar Society was one of the most influential gatherings of intellectuals in the eighteenth century. The group of friends met informally every month on a Monday evening closest to the full Moon. It is this singular astronomical connection from which the group of friends developed their collective noun – although they often referred to themselves as the ‘Lunaticks’. Matthew Boulton was the prime mover behind the moonlit gathering and most people today know him as the great manufacturer of Birmingham and the partner of James Watt. His friend and fellow Lunatick James Keir once observed that electricity and astronomy were at one time among Matthew Boulton’s favourite amusements. The question for the author with an interest in astronomy living only a few miles from Boulton’s home was just how much of an interest in astronomy did Boulton and the other Lunar Society members have? The book is an account of Andrew Lound’s research into Matthew Boulton’s and his friends’ interests in astronomy discovering Matthew Boulton’s design for an astronomical observatory as well as snippets of information on one of his favourite amusements. The write-up of the research has been produced on the urging of several experts in astronomy history and Professor Carl Chinn of the University of Birmingham, in order to assist those with an interest in the Lunar Society and to give wider public awareness of Matthew Boulton’s astronomical interests. This publication contains additional material that is aimed at a wider audience, placing together for the first time a complete ready reference to the Lunar Society’s astronomical interests. Paperback 115 pages 52 B&W illustrations Index ISBN 978-0-9561111-2-8 £10 plus £2 P & P from the author enquiries@andrewlound.com

Text Box: History of the firm of Avery THE POWER OF BALANCE W.& T. Avery Ltd in the First World War By Andrew P.B. Lound The First World war was the first industrial war. Weighing apparatus is used in numerous military applications from weighing gunpowder to food in a field kitchen. Using the extensive Avery Historical Museum archive, Andrew traces the history of Avery’s activities in the First World War. Details of how Soho Foundry became a protected establishment and how the company played a vital part in the reorganization of the armaments industry. Profusely illustrated with never before seen images. Paperback 205 pages with 129 B&W illustrations index ISBN 978-0-9561111-3-5 £10 Plus £3 P & P from the author Available from the author enquiries@andrewlound.com

Text Box: R.M.S. TITANIC: MADE IN THE MIDLANDS The Story of Birmingham and the Black Country’s links with the most famous ocean liner. By Andrew P.B. Lound When one thinks of the building and fitting out of Titanic, it is not the Midlands that immediately comes to mind. Although the ship was built in Belfast, registered in Liverpool and sailed from Southampton, in fact around 70 per cent of her interiors came from the Midlands. This pivotal piece of research from Titanic expert Andrew Lound explores the role played by the people and the varied industries of the Midlands in the life of the most famous ship in the world. From interior fittings and crystal and plate to crew and passengers and local reactions, the story of the Midlands and Titanic is presented here for the first time. Paperback 240 pages with B&W illustrations index ISBN 978-0-7509670-5-1 £17.99 Published by The History Press Available at all good bookshops

Odyssey Log

Text Box: LIFE IN THE BALANCE The Life and work of William E. Hipkins Birmingham’s Titanic Victim By Andrew P.B. Lound William Hipkins was born into a Birmingham brassfounding family in 1857. He developed the family business and was head hunted to run J & E Wright Ropemakers and then to become the first external Managing Director of the famous scalemakers W & T Avery Limted. Hipkins revolutionized Averys introducing modern industrial methods. He moved the old firm to the famous Soho Foundry where he developed his ideas. Hipkins’ connections with the business community of Birmingham were extensive and he was a supporter of Joseph Chamberlain’s Protectionist policies. Hipkins set up a subsidiary company in Milwaukee USA and it was while travelling to this plant that he perished in the Titanic disaster. The book is a culmination of over 25 years research into the life of a man who had been forgotten in Birmingham, yet his ideas and methods have been copied the world over. Hard back and Paperback 300 pages 33 B&W illustrations ISBN 978-1-4567-9801-7 (HB) £25 ISBN 978-1-4567-9800-0 (SB) £15 Published by AuthorHouse Available from Amazon

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Text Box: History of the firm of Avery AVERY’S AT WAR Part 2 WAR IN THE BALANCE By Andrew P.B. Lound The Second World War encompassed every continent and mobilised millions of men and women. At the heart of the logistics of the mass production of war materials was weighing equipment. W. & T. Avery Limited was given the task of supplying and maintaining 80% of the UK requirement for weighing equipment. Avery’s plants at Soho, Sherbourn and Bristol were mobilized to war production. Andrew Lound the former curator of the Avery Historical Museum has had exclusive access to the Avery’s war records and tells for the first time Avery’s exploits in the war with details of some of its employees. Rare photographs, details of the bombing of Soho Foundry and the remarkable story of one employee’s war exploits.

Text Box: History of the firm of Avery WEIGHING THE WORLD Part 1 1728-1894 By Andrew P.B. Lound The name of Avery will forever be associated with weighing. The origins of the famous firm began in 1728 in a small workshop in the Digbeth area of Birmingham run by a steelyard maker called Ford. Through connections with the Beach family William and Thomas Avery would take over the business in 1817 and help found a dynasty of scalemakers and the greatest weighing company the world has ever seen. In this, the first volume of a comprehensive history of the company Andrew Lound will trace the origins and the development up to the death of Henry Johnson Avery in 1894 and the formation of the family firm into a Public Limited Company,

Text Box: HYSTORY THE STORY OF HYDROGEN By Drs M. & K. Kendall, Andrew P.B. Lound History and science meet to offer practical solutions to today’s most urgent problems of climate change and pollution. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. It powers the stars, is fundamental to the chemistry of life and is a clean and efficient energy carrier in nature. Since its discovery in 1766, many individuals have attempted to harness the great potential energy of hydrogen fuel for the benefit of all, facing many great obstacles as science discovered new technologies along the way to make and use hydrogen. This book tells their HYSTORY; of the scientists who have struggled due to the lack of financial and political support to deliver the clean energy future they envisaged, the policy makers who got it right (and wrong) and the visionaries who took it at least one step forwards in creating early hydrogen markets. It is a cautionary tale of how science can lead, but society does not always follow. It is a reflection on why change takes so long – even in the face of clear evidence – and an explanation of who got in the way. Ultimately this book provides a list of next steps for hydrogen, recommended by those who have worked in this field for four decades. This book provides all you need to know about hydrogen, past, present and future with the aim of educating the widest audience on the future of hydrogen, through the stories of the leading scientists in this field. Paperback 255 pages with 77 B&W illustrations index ISBN 978-0-9561111-4-2 £30 Plus P & P

Text Box: LIVES IN THE BALANCE Guide to the Scale Making Industry By Andrew P.B. Lound This guide is for those who have ancestors working in the scale making or weighing industry. This small guide provides a glossary of terms, descriptions of types of scales and weighing equipment . DUE FOR RELEASE 3RD QUARTER 2024