Between the Covers

Hardcover. Square quarto. Blind stamped flexible cloth folder or case, lettered in gilt, with 22 pages of instructions for use, and a large folding chart "delineated and arranged by W(illiam) Nicholson." Laid in is a thick, leather edged board, on either side is a moveable, engraved rondel: on one side is *Fuller's Time Telegraph*, on the other is *Palmer's Computing Scale Improved by Fuller*. The case has some fading to the bottom of the front board, a little wear at the spine, and foxing to the text; the board holding the rondel has a little edgewear, and the action of the rondel is stiff but workable, all-in-all a very good plus example. Palmer patented his Scale in 1843, Fuller made an agreement to offer Palmer's Scale, along with his own Time Telegraph in combination, and patented the change in 1847, when it was first offered. Reportedly manufactured in two sizes, this is the larger of the two. According to some sources, this device was the first device used for high speed calculations that was referred to as a "computer." The term was previously used to describe a mathematically adept person and the earliest *OED* citation for a non-human computer comes from 1897. Exceptionally scarce, especially in nice condition, as this example is.

Item #76823