Links and Resources

• Computing Before Computers -- a complete online version of a scholarly book about the history of computing. The detailed description of Babbage's engines is fascinating!
  
  
• Stephan Weiss shares in-depth research articles and interactive flash simulations of many mechanical calculators.
  
  
• Rechnerlexikon -- an extensive and growing communal (Wiki) encyclopedia (in German).
  
  
• "Die Rechenmaschinen" (The calculating machines) -- The complete English translation of Ernst Martin's 1925 book, a key reference in our field. Thanks are due to Walter Szrek, Herbert Schneemann, and the MIT press for making this available online.
  
  
• The Oughtred Society. Consider joining: the Journal of the OS, available to members only, is a must if you're serious about this hobby.
  
  
• Mike Konshak's international slide rule museum has hi-res scans of over 1000 slide rule models!
  
  
• Sphere Research's Slide rule universe has loads of new and used slide rules for sale.
  
  
• John Wolff's web museum has very detailed illustrated articles on the internal mechanisms of many mechanical calculators.
  
  
• Rod Lovett's site includes a searchable database of past eBay auction prices.
  
  
• Vintage Calculators Web Museum is devoted to calculators, both electronic and mechanical.
  
  
• Ron Manley has an extensive slide rule site with a wealth of information and pointers.
  
  
• Gerhard Wenzel's Museum of Pocket Calculating Devices -- over 2800 models and counting.
  
  
• James Redin's World of Calculators includes a directory of collectors (many with web sites).
  
  
• The Old Calculator web museum gives deep technical descriptions of the technology in early electronic (and some mechanical) calculators.
  
  
• Nico Baaijens's site has edifying video clips of antique calculators in operation.
  
  
• Eric Marcotte's excellent site is no longer updated, but then, neither are slide rules...
  
  
• Giovanni Breda has two detailed sites, one on slide rules and one on mechanical calculators.
  
  
• Jay Francis -- The Slide Rule Guy, with a personal domain name to prove it!
  
  
• Chris Osburn's Calculating Instruments site has interesting commentary and photos in a convenient MediaWiki interface.
  
  
• Linealis.org -- a site dedicated to manual instruments of calculation as well as slide rules, cursors, abaci, handheld calculating machines, planimeters and integrators.
  
  
• Prehistoria de la informatica -- a Spanish site by Eduardo Guillem covering calculators, typewriters and other office machines, with beautiful photos and a wealth of information.
  
  
• Totalisator history -- A tribute to the Totalisator, the first large scale real time multiuser computer system, invented in Australia in 1913, and -- incredibly! -- entirely mechanical!
  
  
• The Jim Austin Computer Collection -- a physical and online museum spanning the range from components to actual mainframe computers!
  
  
• All About the Father of the Computer: Charles Babbage -- An overview of that amazing pioneer of computer technology (contributed by James Martin).