Books offered by JF Ptak Science Books

Von Braun on the Development of Liquid Rockets (1945/1951)

JF Ptak Science Books 

Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, March, 1951.  Individual issue in the original wrappers.  Nice copy. Includes the von Braun article (described following) and GVE Thompson "The Lunar Base".  Issue contains 46-pages.  Very good copy.  $85

I was prepared to just list this for sale in the books for sale section of this blog and be done with it--until I semi-realized that this famous (or at least significant) report is not to be found available online.  Von Braun is far from being of interest to me--I don't need to know his part of the space program from 1946-1977, though I am interested in his what he was doing from 1936-1945 when he was trying to kill London.

Again, I'm no expert on this man, but reading between the lines of his politically whitewashed account of German/Nazi flying bomb program makes me wonder about his enforced/codified forgetfulness and suggestive memory.

The paper in hand is his "Survey of Development of Liquid Rockets in Germany and their Future Prospects", a six-page effort that appeared in the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society on March, 1951. It is a reprint of a reprint of a report that he wrote for his Anglo-American interrogators in the summer of 1945, when he and the Allies were scurrying around and trying to figure out what to make of the post-war world with all of this valuable German technology-ops. 

In any event, von Braun wrote out this history and prognositcation (as there is a big chunk of the paper devoted to future space travel and such) for them in 1945 which then found itself in print by at least 1946.  There are many glosses. For example, his use of the A.-prefix determiantion throughout the course of the document to refer to the V-weapons though it is noted in the first sentence of the report (and no doubt by an editor), that the A.4 "is known to the public as the V.2".  (Perhaps that has the scent of freshness to it, to rid the report of a small part of its scrubiness...or not.)

He writes occasionally in the third person, and also makes the case that the development of the rocket complex at Penenemunde was for research in high-flight/super-fast travel, when the place had always been intended for military applications.  He does mention that the A.4 had severe problems with the guidance system, but that was acceptible since they were given large-target areas to bomb--such as "London". 

It is an itneresting read for what it says about the future of vast fast travel, as well as for what it does not say about defeat and responsibility and the use of slave labor and bombing large civilian areas. 

Early Papers on the Telephone, 1876-1878

JF Ptak Science Books

A collection of seven early papers on the telephone, 1876/1878.

 

Munro, J.  "On the Telephone, an Instrument for Transmitting Musical Notes by Means of Electricity".London, Nature:  May 11, 1876.  Pp 30-32, with 3 woodcut diagrams in the text.  Offered with the original printed wrappers, removed from a larger volume.  Addressed the Elisha Gray machine. 

(Lockyer, J. Norman) "Telephones and Other Applications of Electricity".  London, Nature, August 24, 1876.  Pp 353-355 of the weekly issue.  Offered in the original printed wrappers, removed from a larger bound volume.  Nice codition.

Lockyer, the editor of Nature, forsees the possibilty (as with the earlier work by Munro, above) of having a dance party and being entertained remotely by a paid musciain, somewhere, the music transmitted via telephone.  He steps firmly into 2013 when he slyly laments that the children of 1876 may better understand the apparatus than the adults, ending his review saying "Perhaps our children may find the thing simple enough".

 

 

Bell,  Alexander Graham.  "The Telephone".  London:  Nature, November 15, 1877  8vo.  Original printed wrappers.  Very good condition. 

This is an early appearance of the Bell telephone in Nature magazine, occupying pp
48-49 (in the issue of pp 41-56), in three densely packed columns of about 1500
words. This issue is removed from a larger, bound collection, but includes its
original printed wrappers front cover and ads. The article describes Bell's
October 31 1877 lecture before the British Society of Telegraph Engineers.                                                      

Page,  F.J.M..  "Demonstrations of Currents Originated by the Voice in Bell's Telephone".  

1st edition.  Nature, Feb 7, 1878, vol 17 #432  8vo.  Original printed wrappers.  Very good
condition.  Page's article occupies pp 283-4 of this issue of 277-296pp. Also
included in a three page continuation of J. Clerk Maxwell's review of a work (by
his frined) P.G. Tait. Offered with the original front wrapper and 5pp ads;
removed from larger bound collection.  

Romanis,  James M..  "New Form of Telphone".   1st edition.  Nature, Jan 10, 1878, vol 17 #428  8vo.  Original
printed wrappers.  Very good condition.  Two-column (and illustrated) article
(pp. 200-201) in this weekly issue of pp 197-216. Includes article on Jules
Verne plus contributions by George Romanes and William Crookes. Offered with the
original front wrapper and 5pp ads; removed from larger bound collection.  

Rontgen,  Wilhelm Conrad.  "A Telephonic Alarum". 
Nature Magazine, December 27, 1877  Royal  8vo.  Original printed wrappers.  Very good condition. 

This very early paper by Rontgen (who would in 18 years make his announcement on the X-Ray and who would
also not stop publishing for another 30 years after that) occupies p 164 of this weekly issue and contains about 750 words and one illustration. The article is  removed from a larger bound collection but comes with the uncommon (and decorated) front wrapper as well as the read ads. 

W.F. Barrett.  "Early Electric Telephony".  Nature, vol 17, # 443, April 25, 1878  8vo. 
Original printed wrappers.  Very good condition.  By Nature standards Barrett
contriutes a long (5-column, 5-illustration) look at Philip Reis' electric
telephone of 1861.Occupies pp 510-512 in the issue of pp 501-520. Offered with
the original front wrapper and 5pp ads; removed from larger bound collection.   

The seven papers: $1450/

Edison and the Phonograph, 1878

JF Ptak Science Books

Edison's name was not a popular item in the average American home before his invention of the phonograph.  It was actually some months later, after the initial announcement in 1877, that Edison became justifiably famous.  It is difficult today to place the amazement and astonishment that greeted the invention--there was nothing like it, before, ever--except for writing, of course, and then the recording telegraph.  It was a sensational piece of power, being able to record and save sound--and then play it back again.  It was the first time in human history that the auditory sense world could be audibly preserved.

• Edison,  Thomas.  The Talking Phonograph.  London:  Nature,  January 3, 1878  Royal 8vo.  Original printed wrappers.  Very good condition. 

This is a two-page report on Edison's visit to the offices of  Nature and his very successful demonstration of his new phonograph  machine (the patent for which is applied for December 27, 1877). The editors  record their favorable impressions of the machine and describe it in some detail--there is even a small woodcut illustration of the device. In all the  article occupies pages 190-191 of the weekly issue. It is removed from a larger bound voliume but does come with the uncommon front wrapper and rear ads. Uncommon.

• Mayer,  Alfred M..  Edison's Talking-Machine.  London:  Nature Magazine, vol 17 #441, April 11, 1878.  8vo.  Original printed wrappers.  Very good condition. 

Alfred Marshall Mayer (1836-1897) was an American physicst and astronomer who at the time of publication was professor of physics at Stevens Institute of Technology (New Jersey), and concentrated during this part of the decade was on acoustics, and so was well-qualified to comment on the Edison invention. Mayer's article stated that "Mr. Thomas A. Edison has recently invented an instrument which is undoubtedly the acoustic marvel of the century" and proceeded to discuss the composition of the  machine. Occupies pages 469-471 with three drawings in text--quite a long contribution by Nature standards. This seems to be the second earliest statement on the phonograph in Nature preceded only by Edison's paper four months earlier--which seems to me to be a long period of silence on such an important invention.  Offered with the original front wrapper and five pages of ads; removed from larger bound collection. 

Both: $750

Very Early Reports on the X-Ray, 1896.

JF Ptak Science Books 

Electrical World, volume 27+28 bound together, 792+798pp, profusely illustrated.  Published in New York by Johnston, 1896.  12 1/2 x 9 1/4 x 3 1/4 inches, a very stout and heavy (20 pounds) volume.  Bound in thick, black library cloth, with a call number at the spine bottom.  Quite a nice copy--a volume never much used--though it will not pass the double-fold.  $950

• There are 100+ articles and notices in this volume relating to the newly-discovered X-Ray.

This volume contains some of the earliest work published in the United States on Wilhelm Roentgen's seminal discovery of the X-Ray.  One reason why the work was done by so many and so quickly is that Roentgen did not seek to patent his invention (much like the Curies would do so afterwards) and so there was a land-grab by hundreds of physicists and experimenters to do work in this astonishing new field. 

Electrical World is the third place that the Roentgen paper was reprinted, this time for the first time in an American journal, one day before the appearance of the The Electrician article, which was one day after the publication of the paper's first appearance in English, in the journal Nature, on 23 January 1896.  (The Electrician would also publish Roentgen's second article later in that same year, in March.) The Roentgen article does not seem to be reprinted in full anywhere else in 1896/1897. (See Charles Phillips, Bibliography of X-Ray Literature and Research, (1896-1897), published by The Electrician, 1898.)

Thomas Edison was among those who were among the first to work on the X-Ray in the U.S.; included in the volume are several exceptionally early notices on Edison's contribution to the field, the fluoroscope.

There are ore than 100 short articles and notices, including the following earliest examples:

The New Photography, page 95, January 25, 1896. Short announcement notice, 3 paragraphs.

Dark Light Photography, cy C.J. Reed, Feb 1, 1896, #5. Half page article.

Roentgen's Photographs, by Amos E. Dolbear, February 8, 1896, # 6, page 147.

The New Photography, February 8, 1896, 147-149, with drawings and an X-Ray photograph. 

Roentgen's Rays, 15 February 1896,#7, pp171-172, including four photographs,one of which is the famous Bertha Roentgen's hand. 

Rontgen Rays, February 22, 1896, #    8, p. 195

Rontgen Rays, February 22, 1896, #8, pp 195-196, with photo illustrations.

On the Rays of Leonard and Rontgen, by Oliver Lodge, p 198-199

Rontgen Rays, February 29, 1896, #9, pp 219-221, with four photos.

On the Present Hypotheses Concerning the Nature of Rontgen Rays, by Oliver Lodge.  February 29, 1896, pp  225-227.

Rontgen Radiographs, March 7, 1896, #10, pp 243-244, including a full-length (half-page vertical) X-Ray photo of a hand!

Stereoscopic Rontgen Pictures, by Elihu Thompson, March 14, 1896, #11,p. 280, two photographs.

Experiments with Roentgen Rays, by Alexander Macfarlane, MArch 14, 1896, #11, page 283, two photos.

(Edison) Edison's Rontgen Ray Work. By E.J. Houston  and A.E. Kennelly, page 308, March 21, 1896.

Roentgen's Ray Experiments, by Dayton C. Miller (1 illus). Page 309, March 21, 1896.

Roentgen's Rays. (Editor). Page 309, March 21, 1896.

and many others.

Early References to Graham Bell and the Telephone, 1876

JF Ptak Science Books  ref  Post 1845

The Scientific American, 1876. We offer the entire volume, sumptuously illsutrated with all manner of technical objects, in two parts (bound in one volume), 414+414pp each.  Very fresh copy, bound in black l;ibrary cloth. Very good copy.  $950

Besides it being the Centennial year, 1876 saw a number of major games in the history of human thinking. Sometimes the announcements or earliest public appearances of these breakthroughs didn't get all that much attention.  As one of the major means of transferring technical and applied science info to teh general public, it is interesting to see how Scientific American reacted to such innovations.  For the thick, heavy volume for 1876, amid

patent announcements and articles on telegraphic fire alarms, electro-harmonic multiplex telegraphs, recording telegraphs, electro-magnetic telegraph railroad car signals, signal box telegraphs, underground telegraphs, telegraph keys and armature, acoustic telegraphs and the l;ike (though there weren't that many reported, not really, just on the order of dozens), we find one of the most important of them all, patent # 174,465, by Alexander Graham Bell, appearing 8 April 1876.  It would be a rude resumption of being here in the future of this event to call the coverage short-sighted

 In an earlier article in the 4 March 1876 issue of SA, there appeared "The Invention of the Telephone", by P.H. Vander Weyde, in which there is yet any mention of Mr. Bell.  There is an illustration of one of his precursors in the field, the Reuss telephone, with ample description. (This was actually Philipp Reiss, and his telephone really wouldn't work to transmit the human voice, though did so work for music to some degree.)  Bell's patent  would be at the Patent Office in March, and would appear as a one-line notice (among a hundred others), the patent stating it was "the method of, and apparatus for, transmitting vocal or other sounds telegraphically ... by causing electrical undulations, similar in form to the vibrations of the air accompanying the said vocal or other sound".  (The first image above is a detail; the second image a longer version, which is really only less than half of what the real-life version looks like in the tall listing.)

Weeks later, Elisha Gray's (on 13 May) telegraphic telephone patent (175071) appears in the Scientific American, and later, on 9 September, on page 163, there is the article "The Human Voice Transmitted by Telegraph", on the successful transmission by Graham Bell. 

Admittedly there were a number of developments in the production of the speaking telephone at this time, though in general there seems to have been no great attention paid them in the pages of the Scientific American than pipe cutting machine improvements or improved gravel separators.  Obviously the great impact of the invention was yet to be appreciated, even in any sort of fictional way.

The original volume of these reports is available for purchase via our blog bookstore, here.

Some of the earliest speaking telegraph patent illsutrations follow:

Newton, Isaac. Isaac Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica. Harvard University Press, 1972. 2 volumes 4to. Cloth. Fine condition. Fine dust jackets. This is the third edition (1726) and edited by Alexanre Koyre and Bernard Cohen. $425.00

Rare Computer Manual, 1953.

ELECOM 100 Digital Computer Instruction Manual.  NYC:  Underwood Corporation,  1953.  1st edition.  110+ 17pp (appendix)  4to.  Very good condition.  Elecom Computer was bought by Underwood in 1953 (to become its Elecom Division) and produced three of these units (at about $60,000/unit). The Elecom was perhaps the last computer manufactured in the U.S. using vacuum tubes. The Elecom 100 was the first of the Underwood Elecom series, followed by the Elecom 120, 125, 200 and 50 (which for some reason was thus named in 1956). The are *no* listings for this manual in RLIN or OCLC. Rare.  $750

"Making Military Drawings While Flying on an Aeroplane: how the sketches were made in mid-air".  London:  Illustrated London News,  1911.  1st edition.  Folio.  Original printed wrappers.  Very good condition.  Very nice copy removed from larger bound volume 

This spectacular drawing is made from the viewpoint of the artist sitting directly behind the pilot of a Wright-style aeroplane. In the foreground we see the lap of the artist and his drawing pad as he sketches the terrain; the pilot's head takes up much of the center of the drawing, and in the background we see the distant horizon. Simply wonderful.   $125

Lutwak,  S..  Vela Hotel Spaceraft Structural Design Criteria WITH Vela Advanced Spacecraft Program WITH Vela Hotel Structural....  Space Technology Labs & TRW,  1962+1965.  13pp+18pp  4to.  Very good condition.  THREE very uncommon items, including #3 "Vela Hotel Structural and Dynamic criteria for Flight Electrical and Mechanical Assemblies..." 1962. Space Technology Laboratories, 12pp. The Lutwak work published by STL is a general structural overview of the satellite and is a mimeo/blueprint of very limited internal distribution. **AND** "Vela Advanced Spacecraft Program" published by TRW is a collection of 18 sheets of diagrams of various assemblies plus an ORIGINAL photograph of the satellite. RARE.

Sautter & Lemonnier,  L..  Note sur les Applications de la Lumiere Electrique a la'Art Militaire et la Marine Militaire.  Paris:  L. Sautter, Lemonnier & Cie.,  1879.  1st edition.  32pp  8vo.  Original printed wrappers.  Good  condition.  The title continues: "pour signeurs, eclairage a grandes distances, travaux de nuit, etc."

The pamphlet was published by the manufacturers and distributors, L. Sautter, Lemonnier & Co who were "Constructeurs de Phares lenticuleurs et de Machines de Gramme", and to this time were known particularly for their work in lens for lighthouses. This is a very early work on the military applications of the electric light, and is also quite rare, seemingly unknown to the OCLC/WorldCat as there are *no* copies listed. This copy was formerly in the collection of the U.S. War Department (with a very light rubberstamp on the fron cover dating its acquisition in 1883) and more rececntly from the Library of Congress.    $500.00