In this post, we will see the book Thinking Machines by L. Gutenmacher.

About the book & the author

The book describes earliest computers, technologies and computing techniques and algorithms. The fundamental aspects of computation are well described in the book.
Gutenmacher was one of the earliest computer scientists in the Soviet Union. He pioneered the usage of computers to model cognitive and linguistic processes. His research papers covered such topics as data storage and retrieval, software development, and computerized telephony. A number of his works were translated into English, German, French, and Spanish.

The book was translated from Russian by A. Zdornykh and was designed by V. Yeryomin The book was published in 1960 by Foreign Languages Publishing House.

Original scan by DLI. Note: The scan is warped and not clear at places, but is mostly readable.

You can get the book here.

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Contents

General 3

Machines and Mechanisation 5
Specialisation and “Qualification” of Information and Logical Machines 9
Block Diagram of an Electronic Information and Logical Machine 12
Machine and Human Memory 14
Machine Problems 20
Machine Tests 25

Machine Memory 32

External Memory 32
Internal Memory 48
Long-time Capacity Memory 52
Inductive Long-time Memory 58
Photo-electronic Long-time Memory 59
Memory Elements of Volatile Memory 60
Magnetic Volatile Memory 64
Capacitive Volatile Memory 68

Machine Memory Address Systems 72

Multi-dimension Address System 72

Number Magnetic Address System 78

Associative (Word) Address System 87
Automatic Dictionary 91

Information Traffic in the Machine 96

Sequential-parallel Shifting of Information 96
Telelibrary 102
Information Machines and Telephone-telegraph Stations 108

Computer Elements Information Machines 115

“Logical” keys 115
Computer Units and Circuits 120

Machine Processing of Information 138

Machine Scientific and Technical Information 138
Machine Language 146
Processing Chemistry Literature 158
Processing Statistical and Planning Information 173