From the book's forward:
"The international interest in Gustav Becker clocks required the need for this enlarged 8th edition. As horological historians, we have compiled this publication to record the history of the most beautifully designed and industrially-crafted clocks ever made. These clocks, created by Gustav Becker in Germany 136 years ago, are today priceless collector's clocks all over the world."
"We hope our research effort will enrich the reader in knowledge regarding the history and design of famous timepieces created by craftsmen during the Gustav Becker era."
"Gustav Becker single handedly founded his enterprise in 1847 in Freiburg (Silesia), Germany (currently Poland), From his modest beginning, the Gustav Becker enterprise introduced the industrialized techniques of mass production and marketing."
"The Gustav Becker era did not end with his death in 1885. His spirit his creative management team carried on in the best tradition of his genius. Mergers of the largest clock companies in the 1920s, economical, political, and other circumstances changed the destiny of the Gustav Becker enterprise. With the end of World War II, the Gustav Becker enterprise was renamed United Freiburg Clock Factories and no longer existed."
