The North American Sundial Society now makes available a treasure trove of dialing material on a single CD!  To purchase The NASS Repository and other NASS publications, see the NASS Publications Order Form

What is the NASS Repository?

Compendium Back Issues - All issues of The Compendium to date of the NASS journal are presented in PDF format, with known errors corrected, color added to the photos, and hyperlinks both within and across the issues. (The free Acrobat Reader version 4.0 or above is required - and included on the DVD.)

Sundial Registry - A recent version of the ever-expanding registry of sundials in North America, including locations, brief descriptions and over 500 photos.

Aked/Severino Gnomonics Bibliography - This is an important listing of over 10,000 works on dialing and is probably the largest such compilation ever assembled. (copyright Charles Aked / Nicola Severino)

The British Sundial Society Sundial Glossary - This glossary of more than 500 terms relating to sundials includes definitions, cross-links, equations and the beginnings of a chronology. Over 50 of the main entries have been linked to more detailed articles available elsewhere on the DVD, thus providing the option to choose between a brief definition and a detailed account. (copyright BSS/John Davis)

Cyclopædic Diallist - The comprehensive treatise on dialing by Henry Meikle which appeared in the Eighth Edition (1852-1860) of the Encyclopædia Britannica. The work is augmented by excerpts from the work of Hugh Godfray in the Ninth Edition (1875-1879), and further augmented by extracts from a lecture (1770) by James Ferguson. This compilation is presented here for the first time with annotation, modern mathematical formulation and additional material by Fred Sawyer.

Sciatheric Notes - I - A collection of Fred Sawyer's articles that appeared in the Bulletin of The British Sundial Society in the years 1991 to 1997. The book contains a brief introduction and review of the articles by Fred and a foreword by Charles K. Aked. Charles observes: "These articles are of real importance in the published work on dialing and essential reading for all who wish a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of dialing.... It is an honor to prepare a Foreword to this jewel of a collection of articles."

Dialling Universal by George Serle - A NASS edition of this 1657 book - the first to introduce a comprehensive set of dialing scales on a ruler. The booklet was edited and annotated by Fred Sawyer, and it introduces what James Ferguson called "the easiest of all mechanical methods, and by much the best." The book itself serves both as an instruction manual and as a discussion on the theory of dialing scales.

Dialing Software - The digital bonuses that NASS has distributed with The Compendium, as well as some new material. Some of the more significant programs include Zonwvlak (with a manual, full discussion of equations, and a beta copy of the new Windows Zonwvlak 2000), The Dialist's Companion, Ferrari's Sund98p, Blateyron's freeware program Shadows, Sonderegger's Sonne, and an interesting new program Helioscope by Tom Kreyche.

Selected Patents - The full text and images of over 60 sundial-related patents issued in the U.S. since 1974.

Search Facility - There are several ways to navigate around the DVD, including hyperlinks, bookmarks, and a search facility that instantly finds every occurrence of any word or phrase anywhere on the DVD.

Upgrades - From time to time new material and new NASS publications will be added to the master DVD; such additions will of course be announced in The Compendium. Each new issue of The Compendium will also be added to the master immediately following publication, and will be incorporated into the web of links.

NASS Publications Order Form