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The Turing Papers of Donald Bayley
Lot 46

TURING (ALAN)
Programmers' Handbook for Manchester Electronic Computer Mark II [i.e. Mark I], FIRST EDITION, COMPLIMENTARY COPY, stamped "with the compliments" [followed by] "of A.M. Turing" [the latter in ink, not in Turing's hand], [1951] (10)

14 November 2023, 14:00 GMT
London, Knightsbridge

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TURING (ALAN)

Programmers' Handbook for Manchester Electronic Computer Mark II [i.e. Mark I], FIRST EDITION, COMPLIMENTARY COPY, stamped "with the compliments" [followed by] "of A.M. Turing" [the latter in ink, not in Turing's hand], printed recto only throughout: [2 (title)], 97, [23], gelatin silver photograph of the "Monitor Tube" mounted as issued beside text ("Information represented by monitor display"), blue ink corrections (corresponding to the errata notices in this lot) on 30 pages, 2 pencil inscriptions in a different hand, publisher's cloth-backed printed wrappers, compliment stamp/inscription on upper cover, several old scratch marks to upper cover (one touching letters), small folio (330 x 205mm.), [1951]; together with 9 mimeographed items relating to the Handbook and the Manchester University Computer Laboratory Conference at which the computer was first demonstrated, each stapled at upper left corner, comprising:

'Programmers' Handbook for Manchester Electronic Computer. Errata.' 2pp., with ink corrections, 13 March 1951; Errata, 3pp., 28 March 1951; Errata, 2pp., 9 July 1951.

'Manchester Electronic Computer Mark II'. Rough Tapes, 3pp., [6 July 1951].

'Manchester University Computing Machine Laboratory. Programme Sheet I... Name of Routine, Input. Purpose. To Read from Tape', 3pp., a few small ink corrections, 1 July 1951.; 'Manchester University Computing.... Name of Routine. English. Purpose. To Print Any Fixed Material with Page Printing', 2pp., 1 July 1951; 'Manchester University Computing.... Name of Routine. Roughwrite. Purpose. To Write from Rough Tapes, 1pp., 1 July 1951; 'Manchester University Computing.... Name of Routine. Reciproot. Purpose. To Calculate Square Roots and Recriprocal Square Roots', 3pp., 9 July 1951.

Mimeographed letter from Alan Turing, on "Computing Machine Laboratory, University of Manchester" headed paper, addressed "Dear Sir" stating they are willing to "send copies of our library sub-routines to holders of handbooks", with attached slip to return to the secretary if they want to receive them, and also enclosing [three, attached] samples of "our blank programme sheets and check sheets" stating where and at what price ("£5-6-6 per 1000 for programme sheets, and £4-15-0 per 1000 for check sheets", 5pp., [1951] (10)

Footnotes

FIRST EDITION OF "THE WORLD'S FIRST COMPUTER PROGRAMMING MANUAL" (Jack Copeland/Jason Long, British Library Sound and Vision Blog, 2016), written by Alan Turing, who had been made Director of the Computing Machine Laboratory at Manchester University in 1949, "presumably mostly in the half year gap between the dismantling of the Manchester Mark 1 and the delivery of the Ferranti Mark 1 in February 1951" (University of Manchester, Mark I Documents, online, 2005). Though headed as "Handbook... Mark II', this work actually relates to the "Mark I". Written "mainly for the benefit of those who will actually do programming for the Mark II machine", Turing notes in this introduction that "Electronic computers are intended to carry out any definite rule of thumb process which could have been done by a human operator working in a disciplined but unintelligent manner. The electronic computer should however obtain its results very much more quickly...".

From 6-15 July 1951 Manchester University hosted an international conference, attended by some 170 delegates, celebrating the installation of the Ferranti Mark 1, at which time the Handbook was probably distributed.

Provenance: Donald Bayley (1921-2020), electronic engineer and collaborator of Alan Turing on Delilah, a functioning portable speech-encryption system, during the Second World War; thence by descent to the present owner.

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