The Zoo of Tranquillity

While clearing our his grandparents' attic, a friend of mine unearthed a copy of "Spooner's Moving Animals" and passed it on to me.

This 1986 book is out of print now, although there seem to be plenty of reasonably-priced secondhand copies online. The book contains instructions – and pieces – to make seven automata. The book also delves into why each automaton works the way it does and Paul Spooner has designed the models with different mechanisms in order to teach the reader a range of automaton techniques.

The copy I have is missing pieces for three of the models (the Goat, the Lion and the Wedding Cake), but I intend to try to make the other four over the coming months. They are:

• the Woodpecker
• the Lawnmowers
• the Horse
• the Anteater