DIGITAL COMPUTERS, MIT. 7 ITEMS

i. Blackburn, John Francis (b.1903), editor. Components handbook. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1949, original cloth, [T&W B173]ii. Everett, Robert Rivers (b.1921) and Swain, F.E. Whirlwind I computer block diagrams. Cambridge, MA: Digital Computer Laboratory, MIT, 1952, mimeograph, printed blue wrappers, 2 volumes, (bought from Morgan, 1990), [T&W E22; Origins of Cyberspace 615]iii. Forrester, Jay Wright (1918-2016). Data Storage in three dimensions. Cambridge, MA: Servomechanisms Laboratory, MIT, 1950, stapled mimeographed sheetsiv. Forrester, Jay Wright (1918-2016). Project Whirlwind. Report R-187. Digital information storage in three dimensions using magnetic cores. Cambridge, MA: Servomechanisms Laboratory, 12pp. mimeographed typescript, 8 full-page figures, blue wrappers, [T&W F87]v. Forrester, Jay Wright (1918-2016). "Digital information storage in three dimensions using magnetic cores" [in:] Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 22, no.1, January 1951, pp.44-48. Lancaster, PA: American Institute of Physics, 1951, original wrappers, (bought from Scientia, Arlington, MA, 1990), [T&W F88], some creasingvi. Saxenian, Hrand (1924-2014). Report R-196. Programming for Whirlwind I. June 11, 1951. Cambridge, MA: MIT, Electronic Computer Division Servomechamism Laboratory, 1951, [T&W S20; Origins of Cyberspace 612]; [bound with:] [Anonymous]. A short guide to coding. Using the Whirlwind I code of October 1949. Cambridge, MA: Digital Computer Laboratory, MIT, 1951, mimeographs, green covers, marked "copy 30", (ownership stamp of Walter S. Attridge, Jr.; bought from Morgan, 1990), [T&W M109; Origins of Cyberspace 611], covers slightly faded and nickedvii. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Digital computers and their applications. Cambridge, MA: Digital Computer Laboratory, MIT, 1952, mimeograph, blue wrappers inside blue cloth covers, [T&W M108]4to or 8vo (7)

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The Whirlwind I was an early stored program computer developed at MIT, originally begun as a control mechanism for flight trainers, but then reborn as a computer for processing radar data. Jay Forrester was one of the men who developed the concept of the magnetic core storage system, working on the Whirlwind at MIT. The magnetic core reigned supreme as computer storage technology until replaced by integrated circuit memories in the 1970s. R.R. Everett was deputy director of the Whirlwind project working under Forrester. He eventually took over as head the MITRE Corporation.