Hartree, Douglas R. Calculating Instruments and Machines. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1949
Terra cotta cloth with spine stamped in black., ix, 138 pp., Figures and half-tones (including fine pictures of the ENIAC) in text. Indexed.
A fine copy in lightly chipped dust jacket with 2Ó tear. Dust jacket is bright and overall very good., he first four chapters are devoted to analogue devices, particularly differential analyzers, including a device the author constructed in 1934 from toy parts. Chapter 5 is devoted to digital computers, which the author clearly prefers. Chapter 6 describes BabbageÕs machines, with a discussion of Lady LovelaceÕs 1843 paper. Chapter 7 is on the Harvard Mark I & II calculators. Chapter 8 discusses various projects in development, including magnetic drums and tapes, Boolean algebra for circuit analysis, and flowcharts for programming. There are brief accounts of the plans for several machines, including EDVAC, UNIVAC, and Mark III. The last chapter is a perspective survey of the prospects for numerical analysis. Randell, p. 136. Goldstine, p. 99.
$US500
This item is listed on Bibliopoly by Michael R. Thompson Bookseller; click here for further details.