The Origins of Cyberspace collection described as lots 1-255 will first be offered as a single lot, subject to a reserve price. If this price is not reached, the collection will be immediately offered as individual lots as described in the catalogue as lots 1-255.
ASHBY, William Ross (1903-1972). Design for a brain. London: Chapman and Hall, 1952.
Details
ASHBY, William Ross (1903-1972). Design for a brain. London: Chapman and Hall, 1952.
8o. Original black cloth, printed dust-jacket. Provenance: Norbert Wiener. The author's presentation inscription to Wiener, founder of cybernetics, is on the front free endpaper: "Norbert Wiener, best wishes from W. Ross Ashby, Aug. '52."
FIRST EDITION, PRESENTATION COPY of Ashby's examination of the brain as a mechanism, and an explanation of how it developed the ability to adapt and learn through what Ashby called "the principle of ultrastability." Ashby was a pioneer in the study of the organization and control of complex systems. His concept of a "homeostatic machine" was fundamental to the development of mathematical models of cybernetics. OOC 435.
[With:] ASHBY. A new mechanism which shows simple conditioning. Offprint from Journal of Psychology 29 (1950). Text diagrams. Without wrappers as issued. Provenance: Ashby's presentation inscription on the first page: "With compliments/W R Ashby." A description of a basic mechanism of conditioning, "characterised rather by simplicity of construction rather than complexity of performance" (p. 343). OOC 433. -- ASHBY. The stability of a randomly assembled nerve-network. Offprint from EEG Clinical Neurophysiology 2 (1950). Without wrappers as issued. OOC 434. -- ASHBY and RIGUET, J. The avoidance of over-writing in self-organising systems. Mimeographed typescript. Bristol, England: Burden Neurological Institute, 19 October 1960. Original gray mimeographed wrappers. OOC 436.
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FIRST EDITION, PRESENTATION COPY of Ashby's examination of the brain as a mechanism, and an explanation of how it developed the ability to adapt and learn through what Ashby called "the principle of ultrastability." Ashby was a pioneer in the study of the organization and control of complex systems. His concept of a "homeostatic machine" was fundamental to the development of mathematical models of cybernetics. OOC 435.
[With:] ASHBY. A new mechanism which shows simple conditioning. Offprint from Journal of Psychology 29 (1950). Text diagrams. Without wrappers as issued. Provenance: Ashby's presentation inscription on the first page: "With compliments/W R Ashby." A description of a basic mechanism of conditioning, "characterised rather by simplicity of construction rather than complexity of performance" (p. 343). OOC 433. -- ASHBY. The stability of a randomly assembled nerve-network. Offprint from EEG Clinical Neurophysiology 2 (1950). Without wrappers as issued. OOC 434. -- ASHBY and RIGUET, J. The avoidance of over-writing in self-organising systems. Mimeographed typescript. Bristol, England: Burden Neurological Institute, 19 October 1960. Original gray mimeographed wrappers. OOC 436.
Further details
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