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Corliss, Charles H. and William R. Bozman. Experimental transition probabilities for spectral lines of seventy elements derived from the NBS tables of spectral-line intensities. NBS monograph 53. xviii, 562, [4]pp. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1962. 255 x 177 mm. Ex-library copy. Original cloth, library shelf-mark on spine, inner hinges split but holding. Minor finger-soiling, library stamps on endpapers and fore-edge, library pocket inside back cover. Good copy. Luhn, Hans Peter (1896-1964), editor. Automation and scientific communication. Part 1 (only). [8], 128pp. Text illustrations. Washington DC: American Documentation Institute, 1963. 280 x 217 mm. Original gilt-stamped cloth. Fine. No. 75 of 100 special-edition copies; printed label tipped to the front pastedown with autograph signatures of Luhn and a number of other participants in the edition s creation. First Editions of the First and Second Books Typeset by a Computer-Controlled Composition Machine. According to Corliss and Bozman s introduction to Experimental Transition Probabilities, "[a]t the beginning of the preparation of this table it was realized that equipment was available which would permit essentially automatic preparation of the finished book. It was therefore decided to attempt to produce this publication by completely automatic methods. An electronic computer could be used for the computation, then the magnetic tape output from the computer could be used to operate an automatic phototypesetting machine which would produce film ready for making the printing plates" (p. xvi). The book s colophon (a highly unusual feature for a GPO publication) reads: "This is the first production-line book in which the tables were composed by a photocomposition machine controlled by the output of a digital computer. Printing instructions, column headings, and the decimal tabular material were programmed for the computer. The output magnetic tape then became the input to the photocomposition machine which produced auto-positive film. These, in turn, were used to produce direct offset printing plates." Luhn s Automation and Scientific Communication, published the following year, was most likely the second book typeset by a computer-controlled composition machine; the copy offered here is one of a special edition of 100 copies signed by the contributors. Luhn, the book s editor, was a computer scientist employed by IBM; he created the Luhn algorithm (used to validate identification numbers), KWIC (Key Words in Context) indexing, and SDI (Selective Dissemination of Information) services. For the 26th annual meeting of the American Documentation Institute, held in Chicago from 6-11 October 1963, Luhn issued Automation and Scientific Communication, a collection of short papers presented at the meeting. On the verso of the title page a statement reads: "This 128 page book has been printed from type set automatically with the aid of electronic information processing equipment. It is believed that this is the first volume of technical articles ever produced in this manner." The work was published in two parts: Part 1 was mailed to participants prior to the meeting, and Part 2 was distributed at the meeting. Each part is complete in itself. Ordinary copies of Part 1 were issued in paper wrappers. We are offering one of 100 copies of the special cloth-bound edition, each bearing a printed label signed by Luhn and eight other participants in the edition s creation, and countersigned by the president of the American Documentation Institute. . Seller Inventory # 42595
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