The History of Computing Auctioned at Christie's

Larry Groebe writes "The most amazing unified collection of books, papers, and similar material on the history of computing is about to go on sale at Christie's auction house. Want a signed copy of 'Rossum's Universal Robots?' Original papers on the Eniac? Alan Turning's original proof of universal computability? Letters from Charles Babbage himself? It's in there, to anyone with (a whole lot of) money. Check out the estimated price on the 1974 journal article by Vinton Cerf describing IP addressing. It's increased in value in the past 30 years...just a bit."

Hey baby

[by Anonymous Coward]

Wanna see my authetic Vint Cerf letter from 1974?

The sale's not going well

[Rosco P. Coltrane (209368)]

Apparently the entire online catalog is Slashdotted.

Do they have...

[by Anonymous Coward]

The history of the history of recursion?

Re:Do they have...

[by Anonymous Coward]

The history of the history of recursion?

yes [slashdot.org]

Re:Do they have...

[nacturation (646836)]

Have a post which links to itself and then I'll be impressed!

Re:Do they have...

[stephenisu (580105)]

Stocked in the department of redundancy department.

See the section labeled department of redundancy department.

To find out...

[jd (1658)]

Go to the reply to the parent post that tells you where to find out.

Historical Documents Deserve A Prominent Place.

[dabigpaybackski (772131)]

I hope they put these items in a museum where everyone can see them. Considering the ever-growing importance of the computer in the last half-century, I think papers like these should be part of an exhibit making the rounds across the globe. Smithsonian, perhaps?

Re:Historical Documents Deserve A Prominent Place.

[Usquebaugh (230216)]

Yep,

put them in a museum but how about PDF or PS copies on line. I want to read this stuff but not at the price being asked.

Re:Historical Documents Deserve A Prominent Place.

[mOoZik (698544)]

I think we need a good computer museum. We have a few, but most of them are just a collection of old, dingy machines for one's drooling-over. We need something that has machines, documents, letters, books, components, video interviews, chip prototypes, interactive sections, and so on and so forth! But these will most likely go to a private collection, though museums often bid in these auctions.

Re:Historical Documents Deserve A Prominent Place.

[Jason Scott (18815)]

Haven't been to the Computer History Museum [computerhistory.org] in Mountain View, California, have you? I reccommend seeing what they have and where they're going with it.

Re:Historical Documents Deserve A Prominent Place.

[HyperCash (768512)]

I second this. Their website really could use some work though. The measuem has all sorts of neat stuff and a great staff that has a lot of knowledge about it.

--HC

Re:Historical Documents Deserve A Prominent Place.

[syousef (465911)]

What use is putting original papers behind glass in a museum? You can't read them like that. The artifacts aren't nearly as important as the ideas, both from a historical perspective and a scientific one. Make sure copies are available for download on the net and that people know where to look for them instead.

Re:Historical Documents Deserve A Prominent Place.

[ScrewMaster (602015)]

Yes, well, besides the UK and the U.S., who else was involved in creating all that history? Go screw yourself.

Re:Historical Documents Deserve A Prominent Place.

[sconeu (64226)]

Konrad Zuse?

Re:Historical Documents Deserve A Prominent Place.

[dabigpaybackski (772131)]

Ahem, gentlemen, I suggested the Smithsonian because it is a prominent and extremely well-funded American museum that might be amenable to sponsering an international exhibit of this kind. I had not intended the suggestion as a slight to other nationalities, but being the bigoted American cunt that I am, it was the first idea that came to mind. But to tell the truth, the guy posting below is basically correct about modern computers being of U.S. and U.K. origin, having been employed with staggering success in the early days to crack the Axis codes. And as for the PC, that is indisputably an American innovation.

getting slow

[QuantumRiff (120817)]

Coral here [nyud.net]

Computors

[Rares Marian (83629)]

Wow. They really did spell it that way. All the souls I've led astray. No amount of Windows usage can atone for the misgrammaticalous advice I've given.

I will never RTFA again. Who knows what else I'll find out?

Re:Computors

[ornil (33732)]

You should read old "Doc" Smith's SF novels. I almost died when I read a line like the following:

A Nevian computer handed his chief a sheet of metal, bearing rows of symbols.

or

"Not exactly," the computer still stared. "I was going to set up an integral. I didn't want it, either-I could swear that somebody told me to set it up."

Yep, those are people that do computations - computers.

I have...

[TechyImmigrant (175943)]

I have Charles Babbage's ego in a box somewhere. Should be worth a bit.

Re:I have...

[Xeo 024 (755161)]

I'll give you a nickel, but you have to pay shipping. I could use a box.

Also featured on Page 3 of the catalog...

[GillBates0 (664202)]

A never before published proof of P=NP from Alan Turing's diary.

Just kidding folks...no need to get your panties all in a bunch.

Worth noting

[rackhamh (217889)]

Isn't it interesting that in an era when digitization and electronic archival are increasingly important, memorabilia such as this is so highly valued?

Re:Worth noting

[bwcarty (660606)]

That's because it's all DRM free.

Re:Worth noting

[MightyMartian (840721)]

> That's because it's all DRM free.

Hah! I bet if you try to read the material without the Rights Sunglasses, your eyes will explode.

Re:Worth noting

[pxpt (40550)]

It seems that the more technologically advanced the civilisation - the harder it is to actually access knowledge in said civilisation. Books might be old fashioned but hey, at least you can attempt to read them when the electricity supply fails (at night time you can use candles!!!).

The window of opportunity for getting at knowledge on various media is decreasing exponentionally. For example: books can still be accessed (ever since they were invented essentially). However, nowadays it is getting harder to g

What about

[by Anonymous Coward]

What about the Pink Shirt book; the Devil book; the Dragon book; or the Red book, otherwise known as the ugly Red Book that won't fit on a shelf... Will these books also be auctioned off?

Signed,
Joey

255 lots?

[Mononoke (88668)]

In an auction of the history of cyberspace, shouldn't there really be 256?

Re:255 lots?

[stephenisu (580105)]

They started the counting at zero, the reporter didn't get the joke. :)

No, 255 is correct.

[jd (1658)]

Remember, 0 is NULL.

Re:255 lots?

[Rakshasa Taisab (244699)]

But if they added one more they would sell nothing.

Re:255 lots?

[Dogtanian (588974)]

In an auction of the history of cyberspace, shouldn't there really be 256?

If they slap in another lot, it'll roll round to 0. Damn those legacy systems!

Intrigued, but annoyed

[geekwench (644364)]

Wow, I am simply amazed at the collection of Geek History 101 on display. (The copy of R.U.R is enough to make me want to smash the piggy bank.) All of this stuff is, apparently, one person's collected library on the origins of cyberspace. (See here [historyofscience.com] for further information.)

...Which brings me to the annoyance factor. This collection is going to be scattered to the four winds. Looking at some of the pre-auction estimates, no one person, and very few institutions, will have the scratch that it would take to keep the collection together. Taken seperately, each of these items has a historical context, but taken together, they chart the idealistic, scientific, and technological foundations of the Internet.

Auctioning the library off in such a piecemeal fashion just seems wrong, IMNSHO.

Re:Intrigued, but annoyed

[MerlynEmrys67 (583469)]

Looking at some of the pre-auction estimates,

no one person, and very few institutions, will have the scratch that it would take to keep the collection together

What do you mean - I know people that this would be chump change for (ever go on a drinking spree with someone with more money than sense and get a sip of whiskey out of a multi-thousand dollar bottle ?)

Bill G easily has this kind of money - heck the brothers google do as well.

I could see Andy B from Sun, Steve Jobs from Apple, and maybe the Woz

Re:I am annoyed as well

[RedWizzard (192002)]

I agree it's a shame this material will become scattered all around, but the thing that bothers me the most is that much of this stuff will end up in a bunch of different private collections. Stuff like this should be kept together in a safe place after making digital copies and publishing them on the internet to be shared with everybody.

Why? Most of these lots are just first edition printings of academic papers. There's nothing especially unique about the content of these copies, and in most cases the text is already available on the net. It's not like these are the only copies of the works.

For those gloating over the latest Slashdotting...

[geekwench (644364)]

Don't grab the marshmallows to toast over their flaming servers just yet; the traffic isn't doing a damn thing.

Christie's site always runs more slowly than molasses in a North Dakota winter.

I wouldn't pay a dime...

[HungSoLow (809760)]

for "Alan Turning's original proof of universal computability"

On the other hand, if they had Turing's, I would definitly fork over the cash.

How about a benefactor?

[xbytor (215790)]

Why doesn't Paul Allen or Bill Gates cough up some $$$ to buy the entire collection and donate it to the Smithsonian? Somebody in the biz with the bucks needs to step up to the plate here..

ciao,
-X

buy the catalog

[subtropolis (748348)]

i have no connection w/ christies whatsoever. But i suggest buying the catalog if this interests you. I had a friend a few years back who lent me his catalog for a very comprehensive auction of Soviet space program stuff. Like full suits. 1:1 models of lunar landers. Some very cool stuff. The catalog was well put together, with lots of large images. Definitely worth the 30 bones.

why did i ever give it back to him?

Re:As the Alan Turns...

[OneIsNotPrime (609963)]

Alan Turing is spinning in his grave.

Turing's grave was dug by intolerance.

[TapeCutter (624760)]

The authorities hounded Turing into killing himself because everyone knows a gay geek can't be trusted. Outside of computer nerds not many people have even heard of him, let alone know what he did in WW2 or how he died.

Re:As the Alan Turns...

[Anonymous Custard (587661)]

Alan Turing is spinning in his grave.

Will he ever stop spinning, or will his ghost keep halting me forever???

Re:Bill Gates

[ackthpt (218170)]

If I were Bill Gates I'd shell out some money for that stuff.

And then what? Dig a hole in your back yard and burn everything in it that challenges your vise-like grip on the IT market? Or file it away, with a very Blofeld-ish, "Quaint, quaint."

Re:Bill Gates

[MerlynEmrys67 (583469)]

I know, it is getting harder and harder for Microsoft to find ideas.

Re:estimated bids are ridiculous

[MerlynEmrys67 (583469)]

Why do you say that...

Just because you don't have the money doesn't mean quite a few people don't. I would expect historically interesting documents to fetch a decent price. Someone will want them, hopefully for a museum (A tech museum somewhere) - I could see Bill J, Scott M, Bill G, Steve J. putting bids on documents that particularly inspired them.

Re:estimated bids are ridiculous

[Hnice (60994)]

sure they are.

god forbid we should trust people who do this -- well -- for a living, when we can trust a guy on slashdot who has an opinion and fingers.

One man's trash...

[winkydink (650484)]

Some people have more dollars than sense (say it out loud)

Re:One man's trash...

[Hnice (60994)]

yeah, either the estimates or stupid, or

and i'm going out on a limb here

christie's employs people with experience in correctly valuing antiques and memorabilia. gee, i wonder who i should trust -- the experts, with years of proven experience in the field, or an anonymous coward?

yawn.

Re:Dang!

[ScrewMaster (602015)]

I have one, if you're interested. Special deal, today only ... $50,000.

Re:Cerf article

[slickwillie (34689)]

Maybe someone can dig out the specs for the first spellchecker.