Faster than Thought. The Ferranti Nimrod Digital Computer
by FERRANTI; NIMROD; [COMPUTER HISTORY]
- Used
- very good
- first
- Condition
- Very Good
- Seller
-
New York, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Hollinwood/Lancs: Ferranti, Ltd, 1951. First edition. Very Good. FIRST EDITION IN ORIGINAL WRAPPERS OF THE MANUAL FOR ONE OF THE FIRST VIDEO GAMES. VERY POSSIBLY THE FIRST COMPUTER GAME MANUAL. Although they were "keen to be involved" in the 1951 Festival of Britain, electrical engineering firm and computing pioneer Ferranti was still without an exhibit by late 1950. John Bennet, an employee of the firm, stepped up and suggested the construction of a machine that could play Nim, a matchstick game in which players compete to force a final move.
The Nimrod is considered to be the first or second computer game ever constructed, depending on how one defines the term, and is certainly the first to be constructed and played outside of North America. It was inspired by the Nimatron, an "electro-mechanical machine exhibited at the 1940 World's Fair in New York City" that also played Nim (Donovan), which isn't typically considered a computer, and followed only Toronto's Bertie the Brain, built in 1950, which played tic-tac-toe.
The manual, which includes a technical description of the computer appears to be the first of its kind, as we can locate no records of any user manuals or pamphlets for the Nimatron or Bertie the Brain, both of which were also presented and played at public festivals.
The game was tremendously well received, both at Festival of Britain and at the Berlin Industrial Show in the same year. It is reported that it drew politicians and academics, notably including Alan Turing, who is rumored to have been one of the few to beat it!
Sources: Donovan, T. (2010). Replay: The history of video games. East Sussex, England: Yellow Ant.
With original "Festival of Britain, 1951" bookmark from Richard York & Co. laid-in.
Hollinwood/Lancs: Ferranti Ltd, [1951]. Small octavo (approx. 4x7 in.), original green wrappers stapled at spine, custom box. Perhaps a touch of toning at the spine. An extremely well-preserved copy - the nicest we've seen. RARE.
The Nimrod is considered to be the first or second computer game ever constructed, depending on how one defines the term, and is certainly the first to be constructed and played outside of North America. It was inspired by the Nimatron, an "electro-mechanical machine exhibited at the 1940 World's Fair in New York City" that also played Nim (Donovan), which isn't typically considered a computer, and followed only Toronto's Bertie the Brain, built in 1950, which played tic-tac-toe.
The manual, which includes a technical description of the computer appears to be the first of its kind, as we can locate no records of any user manuals or pamphlets for the Nimatron or Bertie the Brain, both of which were also presented and played at public festivals.
The game was tremendously well received, both at Festival of Britain and at the Berlin Industrial Show in the same year. It is reported that it drew politicians and academics, notably including Alan Turing, who is rumored to have been one of the few to beat it!
Sources: Donovan, T. (2010). Replay: The history of video games. East Sussex, England: Yellow Ant.
With original "Festival of Britain, 1951" bookmark from Richard York & Co. laid-in.
Hollinwood/Lancs: Ferranti Ltd, [1951]. Small octavo (approx. 4x7 in.), original green wrappers stapled at spine, custom box. Perhaps a touch of toning at the spine. An extremely well-preserved copy - the nicest we've seen. RARE.
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Details
- Bookseller
- The Manhattan Rare Book Company (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 2640
- Title
- Faster than Thought. The Ferranti Nimrod Digital Computer
- Author
- FERRANTI; NIMROD; [COMPUTER HISTORY]
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First edition
- Publisher
- Ferranti, Ltd
- Place of Publication
- Hollinwood/Lancs
- Date Published
- 1951
- Keywords
- computer games, video games, computer history, computer science, Nimrod, first edition, first printing
Terms of Sale
The Manhattan Rare Book Company
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
The Manhattan Rare Book Company
Biblio member since 2010
New York, New York
About The Manhattan Rare Book Company
The Manhattan Rare Book Company offers fine books in all fields, specializing in the important, beautiful, and hard-to-find.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Laid-in
- "Laid In" indicates that there is something which is included with, but not attached to the book, such as a sheet of paper. The...
- Fair
- is a worn book that has complete text pages (including those with maps or plates) but may lack endpapers, half-title, etc....
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Wrappers
- The paper covering on the outside of a paperback. Also see the entry for pictorial wraps, color illustrated coverings for...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....