![[HUMAN COMPUTERS MENTAL CALCULATION]. COLBURN, Zerah (1804-1839). A memoir of Zerah Colburn; written by himself. Containing an account of the first discovery of his remarkable powers ... with his peculiar methods of calculation. Springfield, Mass.: G. and C. Merriam, 1833.](https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2005/NYR/2005_NYR_01484_0123_000(093220).jpg?w=1)
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.
[HUMAN COMPUTERS MENTAL CALCULATION]. COLBURN, Zerah (1804-1839). A memoir of Zerah Colburn; written by himself. Containing an account of the first discovery of his remarkable powers ... with his peculiar methods of calculation. Springfield, Mass.: G. and C. Merriam, 1833.
Details
[HUMAN COMPUTERS MENTAL CALCULATION]. COLBURN, Zerah (1804-1839). A memoir of Zerah Colburn; written by himself. Containing an account of the first discovery of his remarkable powers ... with his peculiar methods of calculation. Springfield, Mass.: G. and C. Merriam, 1833.
8o. Engraved frontispiece portrait. Original plum cloth, paper spine label.
In the early nineteenth century, human "lightning calculators" were faster than any calculating machine at solving certain problems, and a few had successful careers as entertainers. Colburn, probably the most famous American-born lightning calculator, began exhibiting his extraordinary mathematical prowess prior to his sixth birthday. His father, a poor farmer, exploited the young Colburn's abilities as a means of earning a living, exhibiting him on stage in both America and Europe. After reaching adulthood Colburn became a Methodist minister, a profession he resigned in 1833 to become professor of languages at Norwich University. He died from tuberculosis six years later. Colburn's Memoir, published when he was twenty-nine, describes in detail his career as a lightning calculator, and gives examples of the calculations he was asked to perform. OOC 252.
[With:] INAUDI, Jacques (1867-1939). (1) "Jacques Inaudi célèbre calculateur souvenir. " Lithographed carte-de-visite with tipped-on portrait photograph, signed by Inaudi on the verso. N.p, n.d. (2) Jacques Inaudi. Clipping from an unidentified French newspaper. February 28, n.d.
Some human computers were actually faster than people operating mechanical calculating machines, especially before the mechanical machines were electrified after World War I. Jacques Inaudi was probably the most famous French "lightning calculator" of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Born into an impoverished peasant family in Piedmont, Italy, Inaudi emigrated to France while still a boy, where he earned his living by giving exhibitions of his calculating prowess. He was examined by leading French scientists, including the neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, to determine the source of his extraordinary skill in calculating, which seemed to lie in his prodigious memory for numbers, coupled with constant practice. OOC 326.
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In the early nineteenth century, human "lightning calculators" were faster than any calculating machine at solving certain problems, and a few had successful careers as entertainers. Colburn, probably the most famous American-born lightning calculator, began exhibiting his extraordinary mathematical prowess prior to his sixth birthday. His father, a poor farmer, exploited the young Colburn's abilities as a means of earning a living, exhibiting him on stage in both America and Europe. After reaching adulthood Colburn became a Methodist minister, a profession he resigned in 1833 to become professor of languages at Norwich University. He died from tuberculosis six years later. Colburn's Memoir, published when he was twenty-nine, describes in detail his career as a lightning calculator, and gives examples of the calculations he was asked to perform. OOC 252.
[With:] INAUDI, Jacques (1867-1939). (1) "Jacques Inaudi célèbre calculateur souvenir. " Lithographed carte-de-visite with tipped-on portrait photograph, signed by Inaudi on the verso. N.p, n.d. (2) Jacques Inaudi. Clipping from an unidentified French newspaper. February 28, n.d.
Some human computers were actually faster than people operating mechanical calculating machines, especially before the mechanical machines were electrified after World War I. Jacques Inaudi was probably the most famous French "lightning calculator" of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Born into an impoverished peasant family in Piedmont, Italy, Inaudi emigrated to France while still a boy, where he earned his living by giving exhibitions of his calculating prowess. He was examined by leading French scientists, including the neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, to determine the source of his extraordinary skill in calculating, which seemed to lie in his prodigious memory for numbers, coupled with constant practice. OOC 326.
Further details
For further information about The Origins of Cyberspace Library and to view the reference catalogue, please visit https://www.historyofscience.com.