Dear colleagues,

Aristotle Tympas' long awaited book is out now: Calculation and Computation in the Pre-electronic Era

The Mechanical and Electrical Ages

http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9781848827417

The book offers an introduction to the history of computing during the ‘first’ (of steam) and the ‘second’ (of electricity) industrial revolution. It brakes away from the idea that the history of computing before the second half of the 20th century was unimportant. In fact the Industrial Revolution was made possible and even sustained by a parallel revolution in computing technology. An examination and historiographical assessment of key developments helps to show how the era of modern electronic computing proceeded from a continual computing revolution that had arisen during the mechanical and the electrical ages.

To quote David Mindells praise:

"In this fascinating, original work, Tympas indispensably intertwines the histories of analog and digital computing, showing them to be inseparable from the evolution of social and economic conditions. "

Please inspect the Springer page for our series: http://www.springer.com/series/8442

The previous two volumes in the series by Bill Aspray were not announced to the SIGCIS list. Allow me to just mention them here

William Aspray, Women and Underrepresented Minorities in Computing;

A Historical and Social Study

Examines the highly neglected subject of race in the history of science and technology

http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319248097

William Aspray, Participation in Computing;

The National Science Foundation’s Expansionary Programs

Examines the unexplored history of the NSF, an important player in US computer history

http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319248301

Further volumes to come in 2018 PLUS we are about to launch a new series SpringerBriefs in History of Computing (http://www.springer.com/series/15184)

Best wishes from Amsterdam in spring: only last week the ice on the canals allowed skating.

Gerard Alberts