Paul, I assumed that was the case, but the inclusion of the Wilkes book confused me. I think there really is a spectrum of books, so say pre-1955 all books assumed the reader had little knowledge of programming. For example the MK1 guide I pointed you to is V2. Its rumoured that Turing wrote V1 and no one could understand it but I think it more likely the machine changed. I also looked at the IBM 701 manuals and they too have some generic info at the front. However I also wonder what the earliest books were like.
Dave G4UGM (You might want to e-mail Simon Lavington https://www.essex.ac.uk/people/lavin12900/simon-lavington he has done a lot of research on early computing, and might know more.) > -----Original Message----- > From: Paul Birkel <pbir...@gmail.com> > Sent: 20 June 2021 13:40 > To: dave.g4...@gmail.com; 'General Discussion: On-Topic Posts' > <cctech@classiccmp.org> > Subject: RE: Early Programming Books > > Dave; > > I'm much more curious about programming books that were *not* machine > specific. > That is, about "general principles" of designing/preparing software for > execution. > > Of course, one needs a language; McCracken (1957) defines TYDAC. > Much later (1968) Knuth defines MIX. > > In between perhaps one could argue that ALGOL 58 qualifies as such a > language-for-demonstration, but I don't believe that there were any books > specifically about programming in ALGOL 58. I presume that there were > eventually such books for ALGOL 60. > > Then there's FORTRAN, in which context I first encountered McCracken > (1961: > Guide to FORTRAN Programming). > > Obviously my first example was EDSAC-centric. And yours is specific to the > Manchester MK1. > > -----Original Message----- > From: dave.g4...@gmail.com [mailto:dave.g4...@gmail.com] > Sent: Sunday, June 20, 2021 6:57 AM > To: 'Paul Birkel'; 'General Discussion: On-Topic Posts' > Subject: RE: Early Programming Books > > Paul, > What about machine specific manuals, so for example the Manchester MK1 > programming manual, the second edition of which is archived here:- > > https://web.archive.org/web/20090526192456/http://www.computer50.org > /kgill/m > ark1/progman.html > > In fact I expect that first book refers specifically to EDSAC, so is in effect > machine specific. There must have been similar manuals for other machines? > > I know there is a Ferranti Pegasus Programming manual, the copy I have is > dated 1962 but as the last Pegasus was produced in 1959 there must have > been earlier editions. > > Dave > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: cctech <cctech-boun...@classiccmp.org> On Behalf Of Paul Birkel > > via cctech > > Sent: 20 June 2021 09:44 > > To: 'General Discussion: On-Topic Posts' <cctech@classiccmp.org> > > Subject: Early Programming Books > > > > I know of two early computer (in the stored program sense) programming > > books. > > > > 1951: Preparation of Programs for an Electronic Digital Computer > (Wilkes, Wheeler, & Gill) > > 1957: Digital Computer Programming (McCracken) > > > > What others were published prior to the McCracken text? > > > > Excluded are lecture compendia and symposia proceedings, such as: > > > > 1946: Moore School Lectures > > 1947: Proceedings of a Symposium on Large-Scale Digital > > Calculating > Machinery > > 1951: Proceedings of a Second Symposium on Large-Scale Digital > Calculating Machinery > > 1953: Faster Than Thought, A Symposium On Digital Computing > > Machines > > > > These were principally about designs for, and experience with, new > hardware. > > > > I'm curious about texts specifically focused on the act of programming. > > Were there others prior to McCracken? > > > > paul >