Product Description
Howard Hathaway Aiken (1900-1973) was a major figure of the earlydigital era. He is best known for his first machine, the IBM AutomaticSequence Controlled Calculator or Harvard Mark I, conceived in 1937 andput into operation in 1944. But he also made significant contributionsto the development of applications for the new machines and to thecreation of a university curriculum for computer science.

This biography of Aiken, by a major historian of science who was also acolleague of Aiken's at Harvard, offers a clear and often entertainingintroduction to Aiken and his times. I. Bernard Cohen arguesconvincingly for Aiken's significance as a shaper of the computer worldin which we now live.Amazon.com Review
Great controversies never die. The brouhaha surrounding theunveiling of the IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (orHarvard Mark I), the first general-purpose automatic computer, is aperfect example: Who invented it, IBM engineers or Harvard appliedmathematician Howard Aiken? Science historian I. Bernard Cohen knewAiken and tells the whole story in Howard Aiken: Portrait of aComputer Pioneer, both an engaging life story of a unique man anda tale of the rancorous struggle for recognition between strongpersonalities.

Through Cohen's painstaking research, includingexhaustive looks into the archives of Harvard and IBM, interviews withAiken and other principals, and his own reminiscences, the reader getsa glimpse into the partnership between business, academia, and themilitary, which, like it or not, propelled us headfirst into theInformation Age. We catch a glimpse of how Aiken's self-described"laziness" in graduate school led him to dream of a machine that wouldease the burden of complex calculations. From this passivity thedevelopment of the Mark I followed between 1937 and 1944, and thenever-completely-resolved conflict over inventor's credit.

Cohenis a mild partisan on Aiken's behalf but argues convincingly thatsubsequent developments in our understanding of computer design mootor at least temper the problem--acknowledging that crucialcontributions were made on both sides, he suggests that the problemnever would have arisen today. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

a partisan look at Aiken
The book is a partisan contribution to a long running skirmish about the dawn of modern computing. To what extent did Aiken influence the design of IBM's first postwar computers? Today, this issue is of interest only to the historians of computing. But Cohen takes us back to those early times. When the basic architecture was being laid down, and not all the implications were fully understood.

It is best to keep that in mind when reading the book. Neither Aiken or IBM's engineers fully understood what they were doing. But we can only say that with the benefit of 60 years hindsight, and a hugely successful computer industry. Certainly, Aiken comes off as visionary. But perhaps Cohen understates IBM's contribution? ... Read more

Product Description
with the cooperation of Robert V. D. Campbell

This collection of technical essays and reminiscences is a companionvolume to I. Bernard Cohen's biography, Howard Aiken: Portrait of aComputer Pioneer. After an overview by Cohen, Part I presents thefirst complete publication of Aiken's 1937 proposal for an automaticcalculating machine, which was later realized as the Mark I, as well asrecollections of Aiken's first two machines by the chief engineer incharge of construction of Mark II, Robert Campbell, and the principalprogrammer of Mark I, Richard Bloch. Henry Tropp describes Aiken'shostility to the exclusive use of binary numbers in computationalsystems and his alternative approach.

Part II contains essays on Aiken's administrative and teaching styles byformer students Frederick Brooks and Peter Calingaert and an essay byGregory Welch on the difficulties Aiken faced in establishing a computerscience program at Harvard. Part III contains recollections by peoplewho worked or studied with Aiken, including Richard Bloch, Grace Hopper,Anthony Oettinger, and Maurice Wilkes. Henry Tropp provides excerptsfrom an interview conducted just before Aiken's death. Part IV gathersthe most significant of Aiken's own writings. The appendixes give thespecs of Aiken's machines and list his doctoral students and the topicsof their dissertations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Absolutely delightful!
This is just a SUPER book! There are great photos of Mks I, II, III, and IV and of their componants, great material on Aiken, and this book imparts a lot of the feeling of the time. You get the feeling that if you werethere, in Aiken's shoes, you'd have done things the same way - there werereasons for the use of relays as basic computing elements for instance.There's a great chapter by Grace Hopper, "Why The Mark I Is MyFavorite Computer" and chapters on construction, programing, and soon. The book makes clear that Aiken was a man who believed in rolling uphis sleeves and building a working machine that could be used, rather than,like Charles Babbage, just dreaming and never getting anything built. Thismade all the difference in the world; keep in mind that Babbage was thelast person to try building a large general purpose calculator, and hisfailure kept the whole field in stasis for close to a hundred years. Aikenhad a score to settle, and he settled it all right. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Science and Its Times, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 128 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.The histories of science, technology, and mathematics merge with the study of humanities and social science in this interdisciplinary reference work. Essays on people, theories, discoveries, and concepts are combined with overviews, bibliographies of primary documents, and chronological elements to offer students a fascinating way to understand the impact of science on the course of human history and how science affects everyday life. Entries represent people and developments throughout the world, from about 2000 B.C. through the end of the twentieth century. ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free.This is an OCR edition with typos.Excerpt from book:LANGUAGE SERIES-Vol II.Jo. 15. A Note Upon Dryden's Heroic Stanzas on the Death of Cromwell.—Edward S. Parsons. ift ,16. Some Defects in the Teaching of Modern Languages.—Starr Wil- ,. lard Cutting, University of Chicago. ' 17; A Plea for More Spanish in the Schools of Colorado.—ElijahClarence Hills." 18. The Evolution of Maeterlinck's Dramatic Theory.—Elijah Clarence Hills. "-." 19. A Study of English Blank Verse, 1558-1632.—Priscilla Fletcher.20. Lowell's Conception of Poetry.—Edward S. Parsons. ; 21. "The Church and Education.—Edward S. Parsons. 1-22. Literature as a Force in Character Building.—Edward S. Parsons. -'23. Relation of the Home to the Criminal.—Edward S. Parsons. ,"24. Jonson and Milton on Shakespeare.—Edward S. Parsons. ,'25. Rousseau and Wordsworth.-—Homer E. Woodbridge. 26. The Supernatural in Hawthorne and Poe. — Benjamin MatherWoodbridge.227. "Much Ado About" Nothing" and Ben Jonson's "The Case is ; ',. Altered."—Homer E. Woodbridge. '28. A Note on "Henry V."—Homer E. Woodbridge. 29. The Pike's Peak Region in Song and Myth.—Elijah Clarence Hills.. C ENGINEERING SERIES—V?I. I. ,'-!. The Fusibility and Fluidity of Titaniferous Silicates.—L. C. Lennox and C. N: Cox, Jr.i.2. , The Design of a Low-Tension Switch-Board.—Vernon T. 'Brigham.Z. The Roasting of Telluride Ores.—/?. L. Mack and G. H. Scibird. 4. Further Notes on the Mammals of Colorado.—Edward R. Warrent5. The Movement of Light in Crystals.—George I.rFinlay.6. Aaron Palmer's Computing Scale.—Florian Cajori.7. John E. Fuller's Circular Slide Rules.—Florian Cajori. .' "'8i A Proposed List of Experiments for a Course in Electrical Engineering Laboratory.—John Mills. .. , ;-.;; 9.' ;An Outline of Mineralogy.—George I. Finlay. " 10; ; On the Invention of ... ... Read more

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"Why was I ever born a witch's kitten? Why - oh, why?" With his bright blue eyes and sparky magic whiskers, no one could mistake Gobbolino for a kitchen cat, but that's just what he longs to be. So, while his sister Sootica learns how to ride a broomstick and turn mice into toads, Gobbolino sets off to find a nice warm fire and a family to care for him. He has many adventures along the way and makes many friends, until he finally finds the home he dreams of. First published in 1942, Gobbolino the Witch's Cat continues to delight children - a true modern classic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Charming Little Gobbolino
Gobbolino, a witch's feline endowed with unusual powers, is a charming little kitten who faces an identity crisis. Can he choose to be other than what he seems born to be, or does destiny mold him? Is compromise possible, or must he conform to others' expectations? Is appearance more important than reality?

One hardly expects most children's books written for this age level to grapple with such weighty issues, but Ursula Moray Williams's book does just that. Gobbolino cannot accept his destiny as a witch's familiar, and so he goes in search of a family that will accept him both for what he is and what he would like to be: A cat that leads an ordinary domestic life.

During his search for unconditional love and acceptance, Gobbolino meets primarily with bigotry and prejudice, although he encounters many kind characters, as well. Each chapter is a self-contained little adventure, which ends in a "cliff-hanging", suspenseful way in order to segue into the next chapter. Perhaps most poignant is the little tale of Gobbolino's adventures as he impersonates Toby the Dog in a traveling Punch-and-Judy show.

Perhaps the one flaw of the book is that it is difficult to see how anyone could fail to love this little fellow. Nevertheless, circumstances conspire to deprive Gobbolino of a happy home until the very end. SPOILER ALERT: Another flaw, I feel, is this very ending. His supernatural powers finally removed, Gobbolino finds himself reunited with the very family whose father wanted to drown him at the beginning of the book for being a witch's cat! Now that Gobbolino is shorn of his powers, however, he finds acceptance within that family.

I am not certain that this message of extreme conformity is what Williams intended. I prefer to believe that she simply failed to think through the unpleasant implications of Gobblino's contentment at fitting in with a family whose head wanted to destroy him merely for being what he was born to be, through no fault of his own.

Still, the charm of Gobbolino and the interest of his varied adventures, as well as the deep questions that the book raises and embodies, are more than enough to compensate for the equivocal ending. I heartily recommend this book to parents of children in the appropriate age range, as well as to adults who retain their own childlike sense of adventure and love of animals.

Most wonderful children's story in the world!
Like the previous reviewer, Deb Mumby, I was also read this as a child growing up in England. The story has stuck with me for years. It was read to me when I was very young and again when I was older. It is a story that reflects the heart of all of us... we want to belong. We have dreams for our future....we know what we want to be when we grow up...

This story is now being read to another generation of little boys and girls... mine. They love the story as I read it slowly and gently with my best variety of English voices for each character.

I recommend it to all children, big like me and small like them.

Claire Guthrie
English Born and Bred:)
Mom of 5.

Should be listed among the classics
This is my daughter's favorite book.I bought it for her 2 years ago when she was 7 and every so often she'll pick it up and re-read it, or just choose one of her favorite chapters to read.She loves that fact that each chapter is a condensed little story on its own.I brought this book into her class to read a chapter during storytime and all of the children were equally enchanted by the story of the little witch's cat.Her teacher enjoyed it as well and appreciated some of the more interesting vocabulary.Excellent!

Gobbolino the Witch's Cat
This book was read to my class in England, when I was 15 years old. I'm nearly 40 now, and this delightful story has stuck with me for 25 years, until I could read it to my own child. Gobbolino, is a misunderstood soul, a character that all children can asociate with! I now live in Canada, and have spent several years trying to track this book down. Not all stories can drive a mother to these length's, to pass them on to their children. Its a special book!

Gobbolino the Witch's Cat
This book was read to my class in England, when I was 15 years old. I'm nearly 40 now, and this delightful story has stuck with me for 25 years, until I could read it to my own child. Gobbolino, is a misunderstood soul, a character that all children can asociate with! I now live in Canada, and have spent several years trying to track this book down. Not all stories can drive a mother to these length's, to pass them on to their children. Its a special book! ... Read more