Skip to main content

This auction has ended. View lot details

You may also be interested in

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

TURING (ALAN) 'The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis', offprint from: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences, no. 641, vol. 237, Published for the Royal Society by the Cambridge University Press, [1952] image 1
TURING (ALAN) 'The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis', offprint from: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences, no. 641, vol. 237, Published for the Royal Society by the Cambridge University Press, [1952] image 2
Lot 54

TURING (ALAN)
'The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis', offprint from: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences, no. 641, vol. 237, Published for the Royal Society by the Cambridge University Press, [1952]

20 November 2024, 13:00 GMT
London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £3,584 inc. premium

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

How to sell

Looking for a similar item?

Our Books & Manuscripts specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.

Find your local specialist

Ask about this lot

TURING (ALAN)

'The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis', offprint from: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences, no. 641, vol. 237, 36pp. (numbered 37-72), publisher's brown printed wrappers with "Price Eight Shillings" on upper cover, 4to (300 x 235mm.), Published for the Royal Society by the Cambridge University Press, [1952]

Footnotes

SCARCE OFFPRINT OF TURING'S FINAL MAJOR PUBLISHED WORK, "a founding paper of modern non-linear dynamical theory" (Andrew Hodges, ODNB), in which he wrote that "a mathematical model of the growing embryo will be described. This model will be a simplification and an idealisation, and consequently a falsification. It is to be hoped that the features retained for discussion are those of greatest importance in the present state of knowledge". Hodges noted that "Just as the simple idea of the Turing machine had sent him into fields beyond the boundaries of Cambridge mathematics, so now this simple idea in physical chemistry took him into a region of new mathematical problems".

The Royal Society noted, on publication of the paper in their Philosophical Transactions, that "The full understanding of the paper requires a good knowledge of mathematics, some biology, and some elementary chemistry. Since readers cannot be expected to be experts in all of these subjects, a number of elementary facts are explained...", indicative of the deep expertise Turing himself had in these varied fields of study.

There are two versions of the offprint, this being the "Journal issue", priced 8 shillings on the upper wrapper and at the foot of the first page of text. The other issue is not priced - both were seemingly printed in very small numbers.

Additional information

Bid now on these items

ADVERTISING POSTERfor 'The Suffragette' newspaper, [c.1913-1914]

ARCHITECTURE - STUART (JAMES) AND NICHOLAS REVETT The Antiquities of Athens, 4 vol. bound in 2, 1825-1830

ILLUMINATED ADDRESS – CLARA CODD Illuminated printed address signed by Emmeline Pankhurst, [1909]

ARMENIAN - HISTORY, THEOLOGY AND PRINTING. Group of books/a map in Armenian, c.1825-1901 (12)

MUSIC & RECORDINGS – ETHEL SMYTH Collection of printed music, song sheets and records, [c.1911-1912]

BANK NOTES - MANUFACTURING BRADBURY (HENRY) On the Security and Manufacture of Bank Notes, FIRST EDITION, Bradbury and Evans, 1856