| Golden
Atoms - The Ernest Rutherford Medals
Mark Stocker
 Canterbury University
Press 1999
ISBN 0-908812-89-2
88 pages. Soft Cover.
19 black/white photos, 9 colour photos.
Purchasing Details.
NZ$20
My Comments on This Book
During his lifetime Ernest Rutherford was presented with awards and medals from around the
world. The Rutherford Collection of medals is probably the world's finest assemblage of
medals awarded to one person. In 1917 Rutherford made additions to his will, prior to
sailing the U-boat laced Atlantic. (His dangerous journey was necessary in order to impart
the Allies knowledge of submarine detection to the Americans who had finally entered World
War 1.) One addition to the will was to leave his medals to his wife to ultimately hand
over to their daugther Eileen. Unfortunately Eileen predeceased both, dying just after the
birth of her 4th child. After Ern's death the collection of over 33 medals and the
insignia of the Order of Merit was presented to his Alma Mater, Canterbury College, now
the University of Canterbury.
Mark Stocker is in
the Fine Arts Department of the University of Canterbury. This book comprises a catalogue
of the medals, a good illustration of obverse and reverse of most and a discussion on the
artistic side of the medals and their designers. The medals are now listed as being in the
University of Canterbury Art Collection.
Errors Noted.
none noted
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Contents
|
Preface |
7
|
| Chapter |
|
|
| 1 |
Splitting the
Medals |
9
|
| 2 |
Golden Gifts |
11
|
| 3 |
No Connoiseur |
14
|
| 4 |
From Rocco to
Realism |
17
|
| 5 |
The Belle Equoque
Medals |
23
|
| 6 |
American
Beaux-Arts Medals |
27
|
| 7 |
Twentieth-century
British Medals |
30
|
| 8 |
A Miscellany of
Medals |
35
|
| 9 |
Rutherford in
Retrospect |
39
|
|
Notes |
42
|
|
Illustrations
|
47 |
|
Catalogue of
Medals |
67
|
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Reviews
Not known at this
stage.
|
