John Harrison Life & Inventions Prestige Booklet

The John Harrison: Life and Inventions Prestige Booklet offers an in-depth celebration of the self-taught clockmaker and inventor whose work transformed maritime navigation. Curated in partnership with inventor and horologist Dr John C Taylor OBE, the booklet explores Harrison’s life, inventions and determined pursuit of an accurate solution to the longitude problem.

Through detailed commentary and imagery, alongside the stamps, the booklet follows Harrison’s development from early wooden clocks and precision regulators to the marine timekeepers H1, H2, H3, H4 and H5. It examines innovations including the grasshopper escapement and gridiron pendulum, as well as the challenges Harrison faced in maintaining accuracy in changing temperatures and the movement of a ship at sea.

Particular attention is given to H4, whose successful trial voyage to Jamaica demonstrated the potential of a practical mechanical solution to determining longitude. The booklet also considers Harrison’s dispute with the Board of Longitude, his eventual recognition and the lasting influence of his work on navigation, engineering and global connection.

An informative and richly detailed addition to the 2026 issue, this Prestige Booklet offers collectors an engaging insight into the life and legacy of an extraordinary inventor.