1843 PALMER COMPUTING SCALE 1st Am. CIRCULAR SLIDE RULE COMPUTING TELEGRAPH EXCEPTIONALLY RARE VOLVELLE Start Price USD 0.99 Current Price USD 765.00 Time Left - Bid Count 20 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Tuesday, November 18, 2008 End Time Tuesday, November 25, 2008 Location West Branch, Iowa See more about '1843 PALMER COMPUTING SCALE 1st Am. CIRCULAR SLIDE RULE' Description Palmer’s Computing Scale 1843 First Edition We are pleased to offer for auction Palmer’s Computing Scale -- the earliest version of the first circular slide rule published in America -- so early, in fact, that it was issued before John E. Fuller's acquisition of the copyright (Feazel, 1994, 15). Palmer and the engraver George Smith began working on their design for an "endless computing scale" in early 1841. It was copyrighted in Boston in late 1843, and versions of the device continued to be produced until at least 1852. OCLC cited no copies of this edition of the calculator, and there were no copies in RLIN. OOC 353. One copy, also a first, was sold in 2005 at Christies for $1440. Our copy appears to be in better condition than was that one. According to the first issue of Scientific American, Palmer’s Computing Scale was “a revolving table, for solving mathematical problems, by a simple mechanical process. it consists of logarithmeric combination of numbers, arranged on two circles, one of which revolves within the other; so that, by the simple process of moving a circular card, the relation of the figures to each other is changed, so as to solve the most difficult problems. The invention must come into general use, though we have not learned where they may at present be procured." ( Scientific American, Vol. 1, No. 8) On the back of the rule there is an explanation of the gauge points and how to use the rule. CONDITION & DETAILS 4to (11 x 11 inches, 275 x 275mm). Engraved volvelle (by George G. Smith) mounted on heavy cardboard. The volvelle has some minor wear and spotting, all of which is clearly shown in the scans. (We have taken both digital camera images and scans). Very good condition. RARITY: OCLC cited no copies of this edition of the calculator, and there were no copies in RLIN. OOC 353. One copy, also a first, was sold in 2005 at Christies for $1440. Our copy appears to be in better condition than was that one. This exceptionally rare item would make an excellent addition to a wide variety of collections. Thanks so much for your interest and good luck in your bidding. Please feel free to e-mail any questions you might have. ~If unable to bid at the allotted time, we recommend either bidding early or using a service such as JustSnipe (available on the Internet) and highly reliable. ~ Please click here to see more rare books & prints at auction on eBay. If you would like us to e-mail you each week letting you know what we have placed at auction, we’re happy to do so. Just let us know. ~We offer a global book search service and are happy to ship internationally. ~ We buy regularly and very widely. If interested in selling a single volume or an entire collection or estate, please feel free to e-mail us. If you have any questions regarding shipping rates, please just e-mail us with your address and country and we will promptly check them for you -- eBay's shipping calculator is often a bit off. 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