Some Recommended Books (until 2012)

 

Peter Hopp:  Pocket Watch Slide Rules,
in English language,  2011.  
Printed and sold by Astragal Press, website: www.astragalpress.com

From the back cover:
Peter Hopp needs no introduction to slide rule collectors throughout the world. 
His first book Slide Rules – their History, Models and Makers, published in 1999, 
has become the point of first reference for all slide rule collectors. 
This work was followed by a detailed study of joint slide rules in his book 
Joint Slide Rules – Sectors, 2-foot 2-fold and slide rules, published in 2009. 
Drawing on his years of slide rule collecting experience we now have Hopp’s 
latest extensively researched book Pocket-Watch Slide Rules. Starting with 
an analysis of the various types of pocket-watch slide rules, an historic 
review of the oldest types and patents, the book continues with a review of 
worldwide manufacture. A comprehensive survey of pocket-watch slide rules 
is given by ‘family’ sub-divided with relevant information including some 
unidentified examples and examples known to exist but as yet undiscovered. 
The latter part of the book deals with non-mathematical types of pocket-watch 
calculators and wrist-watch slide rules. Finally the book contains a list of known 
worldwide manufacturers and retailers and an appendix with operating 
instructions and hints on identifying makers of unmarked versions. In its 
non-technical style and logical layout, both the casual collector and the 
connoisseur will find information and delight in this book covering, as it does, 
aspects of design and construction from the earliest known examples to the 
demise of the slide rule in general use.

 

Georg Schreiber:  Koch, Huxhold & Hannemann: 
der Unbekannte Rechenhersteller aus Hamburg
in German language, 2011.  
Sold by the author: ge.schreib@t-online.de

This book is about a rather unknown manufaturer of slide rules, 
Koch, Huxhold & Hanneman - “der unbekannte Rechenstabhersteller”. 
Georg Schreiber is researcher, author and publisher of this work, 
which can be ordered for 41.- euro including shipping in Europe, or 47.- euro 
including shipping to the rest of the world, by contacting Georg at: ge.schreiber@t-online.de

The book contains exclusively new material (in German language, but with many illustrations), 
and will provide many of us with surprising new information. 
Some excerpts from a more extensive review of this book: 

…. KHH sold slide rules under their own name, but the vast majority of KHH products 
bear names of resellers. This fact makes the identification of the KHH root the more 
important. The book gives a number of clearly recognizable signs of origin, such as logos, 
the cross-section view, multiple slits in the well, and five (or sometimes less) screws in 
the lower edge for slide tension control. The most remarkable recognition mark however 
is the slightly smaller font of the number “23” compared to other numbers in the cm-scale 
on the bevelled edge….

.... Other resellers in Europe were Otto Schleiffelder in Austria, Emile Pfenninger & Co 
in Switzerland, Ahrend and OHICO in the Netherlands, Kahn Frères in Belgium, 
MDS London in the UK, and ….

…. The book further describes the standard types of slide rules produced by KHH: 
Mannheim, Rietz (Polyphase for the USA), elektro, commerce, school, and pocket 
models. But the “icing on the cake” consists of some 50 pages describing, with 
many clear pictures, special designs and constructions: System Cuntz (unique 
mathematical scales), Dr. Frank ….

 

 

Panagiotis Venetsianos, Pocketbook of the Gauge Marks, Second Edition
Published by Lulu, under the aegis of the Oughtred Society, 2011 

 This second edition is a substantial extension of the first issue in 2006, see below.
 Its size has been increased from 68 to 147 pages, with numerous additions and 
 corrections.
 This new version can be ordered at www.lulu.com

 

 

 

 

 

Peter Hopp:  Joint Slide Rules,
in English language, private publication, 2009.  
Printed and sold by Jeremy Mills Publishing Limited, website: www.jeremymillspublishingco.uk

Peter Hopp is the well-known author of one of the first modern books on Slide Rules: 
“Their History, Models and Makers”, in 1999. 
Now he has published a more specialised book on “joint slide rules”. 
The scope of this subject might be roughly summarised as “slide rules with at least one hinge”. 
Separate chapters explain the detailed workings of “Per Load” tables, Girt lines, “E and M”, Scamozzi lines. 
But the major part of the book is dedicated to a large number of actual specimens of joint rules, 
with many details on hinge construction, slide and scale design, makers and specific applications. 
More than 60 colour pictures give the extra information that text alone can not convey. 
A separate list of “joint slide rule” makers shows some 200 names. 
Peter Hopp’s new book can be ordered for £ 22.50 (plus shipping, e.g. £ 7.88 to USA). 

 

 

Peter Holland:    Rechenschieber (Slide Rules), A.W. Faber & A.W. Faber-Castell - 
                        Modell, Typen, Skalen (Models, Types, Scales)
in German (and English) language, private publication, 1^st edition 2009.  
In March 2011 the 4^th revised edition of this book was announced.
Some corrections have been made, and much new information has been added. 
The total number of pages has grown from 128 to 160.
For an overview of the additional subjects and chapters, see: 
http://www.peterholland.de/fc/Flyer4e.pdf
Price of the book is 15.00 euro, including handling and shipping to Europe and to rest of the world.
Sold by the author, send email for ordering to: PHolland@t-online.de 

This neat little 128-page booklet is an “overview of all slide rules by Faber and Faber-Castell”. 
It could also be called a catalogue, and the structure is indeed organized as a tabular list of 
all Faber-Castell (F-C) slide rule types. Separate section versions are given in German and in English.  
In the tables, however, the language differences are indicated only for each matrix element where needed. 
Not only the slide rule tables are important to collectors. The book also incorporates very helpful tables on 
the structure of the seemingly haphazard F-C type numbering scheme, the German registration marks and patents by F-C, 
and dating methods by construction details, materials used, inscriptions, logos, etc. 
Of real practical use for the collector are the equivalence tables of slide rules having the same fit of cursor 
or the same type of case.

 

Klaus Kühn, Rodger Shepherd:  Calculating with Tones: The Logarithmic Logic of Music,
in English language, 2009.  
Printed and sold by The Oughtred Society, USA: www.oughtred.org

From the introduction we read that this monograph addresses the following questions:
- How is a musical scale constructed?
- What was Pythagoras' contribution?
- How has the "monochord" helped?
- Difference between pure and tempered tuning?
- What is the Pythagoran comma?
- What is the Circle of Fifths?
- What is the Weber-Fechner Law?
and many other questions and issues about the relation between logarithms and music.

 

Guus Craenen:  Rechenschieber im Wandel der Zeit, 1787-1905
in German language, private publication, 2009.  
Sold by the author but no longer available. Spanish and English translations are available for download.

The third book by Guus Craenen addresses the history of the slide rule from 1787 to 1905, 
emphasizing the developments around the system Mannheim and subsequent models by Dennert & Pape and Nestler; 
all from the perspective of the Industrial Revolution in the Europa of that age. This approach reacquaints the reader with 
subjects from the first two books by Guus. The newly added information and the ever increasing quality of the pictures make
 this new book valuable.  

 

 

Guus Craenen:  Rechenschieber im Wandel der Zeit, 1588-1918,
in German language, private publication, 2011.
Sold by the author but no longer available

This fourth book by Guus Craenen describes the history of the slide rule from 1588 to 1918, 
a more extended period than the era 1787-1905 in his third book.
It contains as new elements the forerunners of the slide rule in the 16th and 17th century: 
introductions to the invention of the logarithm, the Gunter rule, sector (proportional compasses), 
and reduction compasses - including a 20th century version by Weems & Plath for
time-speed-distance calculations. 
Many slide rules that we know from earlier books by Guus are treated again, often with new 
and better pictures, or with new information. New types are introduced: 
the  Polymeter van Stöckle (1843), the early loglog System Schweth by D&P (1900), 
the Faber-Castell 347 Stahlbau System Schweppe-Äbli, and the planimeter for 
measuring and calculating areas on drawings. As always in the books by Guus, 
many annexes are attached with sources, names, corrections in earlier books, patents, etc. 

 

 

 

IJzebrand Schuitema (Auth.), Otto van Poelje (Ed.):  The Schuitema Collection,
in English language, private publication, 2009.  
Printed and sold by Lulu.com, an internet "on-demand" printing and publishing provider.

From the back cover:

The Schuitema Collection

Illustrated Catalogue of all slide rules and discs in the 
Schuitema Collection.
In December 2008, this private collection was donated by IJzebrand Schuitema to the 
Arithmeum museum in Bonn, Germany.
The book presents the Schuitema Collection at that moment, structured in 55 themes and 
displayed on 188 panels. Some 2700 panel objects are presented in pictures and text.

IJzebrand's donation of his collection to the Aritmeum has been reported in MIR49 articles.
This book on the Schuitema Collection is described in more detailed in the announcement in MIR 50, see here.
A preview is possible for the introduction and from three selected panels.
The book can be ordered in paperback or in hardcover binding.
Because a printed copy of the book with 400 colour pages is very expensive (between 73 and 95 euro depending 
on binding and shipping), there is also an option for a free download of the PDF file (about 400 MB size).
Ordering can be done at the website lulu.com in the BUY section, by searching for the keyword "schuitema".

The book is organized following themes and panels. To look where a specific brand name and model type can be 
found in the Schuitema Collection, please click at this alfabetical Index of Items.

 

Kring Historische Rekeninstrumenten, KRING Jubileum DVD, 1992 - 2007
in English language, private publication, April 2008 
for more information, see: README

31 oktober 1992, the Dutch Circle (KRING) was established at a meeting of slide rule collectors in Odijk, the Netherlands. 
In November of the same year, the first MIR was published. 
Our 15-year anniversary is celebrated by offering a Jubileum DVD to all KRING-members. This DVD was attached to MIR 47, April 2008. 

The purpose of this DVD is to show all publications of KRING-members in those past 15 years. The production  has been impressive. 
The printed material covers almost 1200 pages in the MIR's, and about as much pages in books published by KRING-members. 

And then we have the material in pure digital form, like the pictures in the Slide Rule Catalogue and the Website of the KRING. 
All together the KRING Jubileum-DVD contains almost 10.000 pages text and pictures, condensed in 2½ Gigabytes digital.

With regard to the language of all this information, we turn out to be quite internationally oriented: the MIR’s contain mainly contributions in Dutch, but all IM Proceedings and almost all books written by KRING-members are available in English. Just one book, IJzebrand's first book: “2 x 3 ……  approximately 6”, can only be found on this DVD in Dutch (the English version is commercially available from Astragal Press in the USA).

In the "KRING Jubileum-DVD", the collected works of the  KRING has been made easily accessible for look-back or for further research in our field of interest. 
Moreover, this information is thus preserved for the future and disclosed for a larger public. 

Use of the DVD

The main folder of the DVD contains documents of the type Adobe Acrobat (PDF) or of the type HTML for usage by a browser (like MS Internet Explorer). This means those files are not limited to usage on MS Windows PC's only.
The PDF files use a separate window with direct clickeable index lines is (bookmarks), or alternately thumbnail pictures for each page. This allows fast and easy navigation in these PDF files.  

On a suitable MS Windows PC, the DVD will start automatically a menu on the browser, for even easier navigation. This menu can also be started manually by clicking door the file Menu.html.  
Usage of the menu required a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768 pixels.

The "KRING Jubileum DVD" is available for all collectors, at a price of 15,- euro,
including shipment anywhere in the world. For more information, email:   
ovpoelje@rekenlinialen.org

 

IJzebrand Schuitema, The Slide Rule as Hobby Theme,
Private publication, 2007

IJzebrand Schuitema's third book - in Engelsh - recounts personal experiences during his more than 25 years of collecting slide rules. Every collector will recognize events and situations in this book, but also he will find ideas to initiate new activities in his collecting activities. 
The reader will become more closely acquainted with IJzebrand while reading his book. 
IJzebrand wants to put an example with his book, for other collectors to put their own experiences to print. 

Dit boek has been printed in limited numbers, for friends only. There will be no reprint because of high color printing costs.
However the book can be obtained in digital format as part of the  "KRING Jubileum DVD", is published April 2008, see description above.

Joseph L. Soper, K&E Salisbury Products Division Slide Rules,
Published by the Oughtred Society, 2007 (voor meer informatie klik hier)

Joseph L. Soper joined K&E in 1966, training at the Hoboken facility and then moving to the Salisbury Products Plant in Lakeville, Connecticut. At Salisbury he progressed from Department Supervisor, to Plant General Foreman, to Production Manager, and then to Plant Manager, a total of twenty-nine years.
This book is a story told by Joe Soper just like he was sitting in your living room just talking to you. The story is packed with lots of human interest while telling many details of slide rule production at the Salisbury plant. There is something for everybody. How plastic slide rules were made by K&E is the main theme but along the way there are many details about how the scales were laid out, how the molding masters were made and many production details. The bizarre story about the Analon is finally told by someone that was there. 

The price of this book is 39,- US Dollar, excluding shipment costs.
For Europe, shipping is 12,- US Dollar for 1 or for 2 books, uninsured.

Panagiotis Venetsianos, Pocketbook of the Gauge Marks,
Published by the Oughtred Society, 2006 (voor meer informatie klik hier)

This booklet was produced exclusively for Oughtred Society members. It was sent to all members with the second issue of the Journal of the Oughtred Society in 2006. It will also be sent to new members joining the Society, while the stock lasts. See http://www.oughtred.org/members.shtml
What is the difference between a slide rule and a table of physical & mathematical constants?
First the similarity: slide rules also have constants imprinted, the so-called “gauge marks”. Of the many differences, an outstanding one is that a constant on the slide rule is immediately available for use in a calculation. Unit conversion is one of the possible applications, but many other ingenious factors have been invented to ease specific calculations.
An individual slide rule may have a small number of constants – excepting specials like for instance the chemical rule bearing quite some elements from the Periodic System. However, many slide rules collectively make up a substantial book of constants. And that is exactly what Panagiotis Venetsianos has achieved over the more than 10 years that he is collecting gauge marks.
For collectors and connoisseurs alike, this booklet is a goldmine of information, to understand and appreciate the sometimes cryptic icons on their slide rules. The elegant design of cross-referencing tables for gauge mark names and their numerical values -with explanations- allows an easy answer to any question on the gauge marks. The Oughtred Society considered this work important enough to have this booklet produced in print for the members of the Society. Dutch Kring members may have seen a preliminary version of this text in MIR 29, October 2001.

 

Ted Hume, Bob Koppany (Ed.), The Oughtred Society Slide Rule Reference Manual,
Private publication, 2005 (for more information click here)

Nico Smallenburg , De LOGA Calculators,
Private publication, 2004

Guus Craenen , Albert Nestler - Innovation und Qualität Teil II,
"Zusammenarbeit mit anderen Herstellern und mit Erfindern",

Private publication, 2004
Sold by the author but no longer available.

Ir. IJ. Schuitema ,
The Slide Rule, Technical Cultural Heritage,
Private publication, 2003

 

                   This new book, in English, by IJzebrand Schuitema
                        addresses over 130 patents, mainly European,
                        and gives descriptions of more than 30 specialised
                        slide rules from his own collection.
                        With some 500  pictures, many of them in colour.
                        Also a CD-ROM is included with detailed pictures of all addressed
                        slide rules.
                        See the English-language review of this book in MIR34.
                                      The price of this book is 40,- EURO, excluding shipment costs.

Jo Donners (1937 - 2005), Mijnheer van Dalen Krijgt Antwoord,
Nederlandse versie uitgegeven in eigen beheer, 2002
English (extended) version "The Fascinating Development of ARITHMETIC"
has been presented at IM2003, and is available from the author.

 

 

Guus Craenen , Albert Nestler - Innovation und Qualität,
Private publication, 2001
Sold by the author but no longer available.

                          English version is available at  The Astragal Press:
                                          www.AstragalPress.com

 

Peter M. Hopp, SLIDE RULES - Their History, Models, and Makers,
The Astragal Press, 1999

Comprehensive reference book with many tables on
models and makers world-wide. Includes unique
information about English instrument makers before
the 20th century.

 

Dieter von Jezierski, Rechenschieber - eine Dokumentation, 
Private publication, 1997

Very readable and accomplished book covering a
broad range of the area. Especially recommended
for the starting collector, in German.

 

 

Dieter von Jezierski, Slide Rules, A Journey Through Three Centuries,
The Astragal Press, 2000

English-language edition of above-mentioned book
from 1997, with many improvements and additions.  

 

 

W.J. Heijdeman, De Rekenliniaal,
N.V. Uitgevers-mij. "KOSMOS", Amsterdam, many reprints around 1940

Many books with a more general description and
operating techniques have been published in addition
to the User Manuals bundled with the slide rules.
As example, this easy booklet was very popular at
the time in the Netherlands.