Latest news with #NormanRoutledge
BBC News
3 days ago
- Science
- BBC News
'We nearly shredded Alan Turing papers auctioned for £465,000'
A woman who auctioned off papers written by World War Two codebreaker Alan Turing said she was stunned at the price they collection, which dates from the 1930s and included a copy of Turing's PhD dissertation, was sold for £465,400 after an auction in Etwall, Derbyshire, on Pitcher, from Newark, said the papers were discovered in an attic by a cousin at her mother's house after she had been taken into a care home, and included correspondence between the famous scientist and her uncle, fellow mathematician Norman 68-year-old said the historic documents narrowly avoided being disposed of before their value was realised. "There were a couple of boxes and a few carrier bags and they thought about just shredding it all due to how much paper there was," she said."We had a cousin reunion in November 2024 planned, so they kept hold of the papers and brought them along for us all to go through."We had a look through and my husband noticed they were Alan Turing related. I had a closer look and found a letter Alan Turing wrote to my uncle, which we knew about."However, we found more letters including one from Turing's mum to my uncle. Upon further look, we noticed one of the papers had Alan Turing's signature on, so that gave me a bit of a fizzle."My cousins then agreed I could take them away to investigate."Ms Pitcher said the family "didn't know anything" about her uncle's friendship with Turing, and had "no idea at all" how much the papers would be worth when they took them for were given an estimate of "anything from £50-60,000 to £150,000", a price comfortably cleared at the eventual Pitcher said she was "very pleased" to see the papers find an appreciative home."I'm delighted that they have gone to people who wanted them and can really appreciate them," she said."The papers are pure math - it was all maths, so it didn't mean anything to me because it was all about maths and at a level that you need to be a pretty good mathematician to understand."
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Bunch of old papers that were almost shredded after being found hidden in a loft have sold for massive £465k - because they are the work of a WWII hero
A trove of pioneering work by Alan Turing that was found in a loft and almost shredded today sold for nearly half a million pounds. The so-called Alan Turing Papers are the origins of computer science by the late genius mathematician and were discovered in the attic of a fellow mathematician who was given them by Turing's mother after her son's death in 1954. The work, which was bought at auction for £465,500, was rediscovered by the relatives of Norman Routledge when they were having a clear out. The collection included the wartime code breaker's personal signed copy of his 1938 PhD dissertation, 'Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals' - it sold for £110,500 at auction today. His paper 'On Computable Numbers' also known as 'Turing's Proof' which introduced the world to the idea of a universal computing machine in 1936, sold for £208,000. It has been described as the first programming manual of the computer age. Turing played a vital role in cracking the German Enigma code which was crucial to the Allied victory in the Second World War. But he was later persecuted for being a homosexual and took his own life aged 41. After Turing's death, his mother Ethel gave her son's papers to his loyal friend and fellow mathematician Norman Routledge. Ethel wrote Mr Routledge a covering letter in which she revealed how she knew her late son 'was a winner from the age of six' After his death his mother Ethel gave her son's papers to his loyal friend Norman, writing him a letter that said she knew her late son 'was a winner from the age of six.' She added that she 'always believed that he had a gift' as well as doubts that Turing's death was suicide, stating she was convinced it was accidental poisoning of cyanide. Jim Spencer, of Rare Books Auctions of Lichfield, Staffs, which sold the papers, said: 'This was the most important archive I've ever handled. The papers came within inches of being destroyed, and instead they've captured the world's imagination. 'It's a once-in-a-lifetime discovery - not just for collectors, but for the sake of preserving the story of one of the greatest minds in history. 'The result of the sale is a reminder that Turing's life and achievements must continue to be celebrated and studied. 'The vendor was absolutely over the moon. To think these precious papers could've been lost to the shredder - and now they will go on to educate and inspire generations. 'Turing was a man ahead of his time, and through these pages, he lives on.' After Mr Routledge's death, his sister stored the papers in the attic where they lay dormant until she recently moved into a care home. Her daughters came across the papers but they too didn't realise their importance or significance at first. Luckily, they took them along to a family reunion event and one relative thought they should seek an expert opinion on them. They then took them to a Rare Book Auctions valuation day in a carrier bag. Mr Spencer said: 'Nothing could've prepared me for what I was about to find in that carrier bag. I opened it and thought 'good lord.' 'These seemingly plain papers - perfectly preserved in the muted colours of their unadorned, academic wrappers - represent the foundations of computer science and modern digital computing.' He explained the papers, known as 'offprints', were produced in very small numbers and distributed among fellow scholars making them incredibly scarce survivors that rarely ever appear on the market. Mr Spencer added: 'They are prized by collectors as representing the first separate edition of an important work. 'The dissertation is really important and the fact it is signed by Turing makes it extra special. 'Intensively researching and cataloguing these papers has left me feeling that Alan Turing was superhuman. 'For me, it's like studying the language of another planet, something composed by an ultra-intelligent civilisation. 'At the same time, I keep thinking of the tragic end to Turing's life, precisely because he was treated as alien - charged as a criminal, barred from GCHQ, banned from the United States, and forced to undergo chemical castration - all this despite the invaluable work he'd done at Bletchley Park during the war, and for nothing more than his sexuality. 'This injustice, and the fact he didn't survive to see his enormous influence and impact, makes these papers feel so special.' The Turing Papers include 'The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis' from 1952, Turing's lesser-known masterpiece of mathematical biology and his last major published work. It has since become a basic model in theoretical biology. There are also letters written to Norman from the celebrated novelist E.M Forster in the collection. One of Norman's nieces said: 'Norman was an amazing man who showed genuine interest in everyone he came into contact with. His family were very important to him. He kept in regular contact and was interested in what each one was doing. 'We finally had an opportunity to see Norman's papers when the family hosted a 'Routledge Reunion' weekend in November 2024. 'The papers were brought along in a carrier bag. One cousin felt the Turing and Forster papers might be of interest to collectors.' Before Turing pleaded guilty to the criminal charge of gross indecency for homosexual acts in 1952, he sent Norman a poignant letter known as 'Yours in distress'. It was this letter that was read out by Benedict Cumberbatch who played Turing in the 2014 film The Imitation Game. It read: 'I've now got myself into the kind of trouble that I have always considered to be quite a possibility for me, though I have usually rated it at about 10:1 against. 'I shall shortly be pleading guilty to a charge of sexual offences with a young man. 'The story of how it all came to be found out is a long and fascinating one, which I shall have to make into a short story one day, but haven't the time to tell you now. 'No doubt I shall emerge from it all a different man, but quite who I've not found out.' The letter is now in the Alan Turing Archive at King's College Cambridge.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Codebreaker Alan Turing's scientific papers sell for ‘record' £465,000
Scientific papers belonging to the Second World War codebreaker and computing pioneer Alan Turing which were nearly shredded after being discovered in a loft have sold for a total of £465,400 at auction. The archive of papers belonging to the mathematician, including a signed personal copy of his 1939 PhD dissertation, Systems Of Logic Based On Ordinals and On Computable Numbers from 1937, described as the first programming manual of the computer age, were sold on Tuesday, Hansons Auctioneers said. The archive, which sold for what is thought to be a record sum for such Turing material, had originally been gifted to Turing's friend and fellow mathematician, Norman Routledge, by Turing's mother, Ethel. The papers, known as 'offprints', were produced in small numbers and distributed within academia, making them rare survivors. Routledge kept the papers, which also included letters from the novelist EM Forster, and on his death they were taken to a relative's loft after his home in Bermondsey, London, was cleared out. One of Routledge's nieces previously said: 'When (Routledge) died in 2013, two of his sisters had the unenviable task of sorting through and emptying the contents. 'There were lots of personal papers which one sister carted away and stored in her loft. The papers lay dormant until she moved into a care home almost a decade later. 'Her daughters came across the papers and considered shredding everything. Fortunately, they checked with Norman's nieces and nephews because he'd always been a presence in our lives.' Auctioneers had estimated the lots would sell for £40,000 to £60,000 each, but On Computable Numbers alone sold for £208,000, Hansons said. Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals sold for another £110,500, with bidders on phones, online and in person at Rare Book Auctions, part of Hansons, in Lichfield, Staffordshire. The collection also included The Chemical Basis Of Morphogenesis, which sold for £19,500. Dating from 1952, it is Turing's lesser-known masterpiece of mathematical biology and his last major published work. Meanwhile, a single piece of paper which was Turing's first published paper in 1935, called Equivalence Of Left And Right Almost Periodicity, sold for £7,800. It was also gifted to Routledge by Turing's mother and her handwritten letter dated May 16 1956 was included. The letter reads: 'I have to-day sent by registered post 13 of Alan's off-prints … I have had some requests to write a biography of Alan … I have masses of material because from the time he was about 6 I spotted a winner – despite many detractors at school – and kept many papers about him.' Jim Spencer, director of Rare Book Auctions, said of the papers, which were brought to experts in a carrier bag: 'Nothing could've prepared me for what I found in that carrier bag. 'These plain, academic papers were absolutely electrifying – they are the very bedrock of modern computing. Handling them was both humbling and haunting. 'Knowing the tragic arc of Turing's life only adds to the emotional weight. He was treated appallingly despite all he had done and yet, here, his ideas remain alive, relevant, and revolutionary.' Mr Spencer added: 'This was the most important archive I've ever handled. The papers came within inches of being destroyed, and instead they've captured the world's imagination. 'It's a once-in-a-lifetime discovery – not just for collectors, but for the sake of preserving the story of one of the greatest minds in history.' Turing, who is widely regarded as the father of computing science, played a central role in breaking the Enigma code, used by the Nazis during the Second World War. After the war, he was convicted of being involved in homosexual acts and took his own life in 1954, aged 41.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Saved Alan Turing papers sold at auction in Etwall for £465k
Papers written by World War Two codebreaker Alan Turing have sold for a "record-breaking" price of £465,400 after they were found in a loft and almost 1930s collection, which included a copy of Turing's PhD dissertation, went under the hammer in Etwall in Derbyshire on considered by many as the father of modern computing, played a key role in WW2 in helping to break the German Enigma codes at Bletchley to Hansons Auctioneers, one of the papers - On Computable Numbers - sold for "a remarkable" £208,000. Auctioneer Charles Hanson said: "To think these precious papers could've been lost to the shredder and now they will go on to educate and inspire generations. "Turing was a man ahead of his time, and through these pages, he lives on." The papers were originally gifted to Turing's friend and fellow mathematician Norman Mr Routledge died in 2013, the documents were found at his home in Bermondsey, London, and taken away by one of his of Mr Routledge's nieces, who has not been named, said they were untouched for years until the sister moved into a care daughters found the collection and "considered shredding everything" before they checked with the nieces and nephews. According to Hansons, Turing's PhD dissertation and On Computable Numbers are both hailed as foundational works in the field of theoretical computer Book Auctions, sister company to Hansons, had valued both of the papers at between £40,000 and £60, the dissertation from 1938 or 1939, called Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals, sold for £110, top selling lots included Computability and λ-Definability and The World Problem in Semi-Groups with Cancellation, which sold for £26,000 and £28,600 final major work from 1952, called The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis, went for £19,500, while his first published paper from 1935, Equivalence of Left and Right Almost Periodicity, sold for £7,800. In addition to the academic works, the sale featured personal items, including a handwritten letter from Ethel Turing explaining the gift of her son's papers to Mr Spencer, director of Rare Book Auctions, said: "This was the most important archive I've ever handled. "The papers came within inches of being destroyed, and instead they've captured the world's imagination. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime discovery – not just for collectors, but for the sake of preserving the story of one of the greatest minds in history."Mr Hanson added that the buyer was "absolutely over the moon" with the purchases.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Alan Turing's iconic paper on a 'universal computing machine' goes up for auction
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A trove of Alan Turing's papers, including his own personal copy of his PhD dissertation, is going up for auction June 17 after narrowly avoiding destruction. The papers were "offprints," or copies of papers distributed in small batches within academia. They include not only Turing's signed dissertation, but also 1937's "On Computable Numbers," considered the first computer programming manual, and 1952's "The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis," Turing's last major published work. Turing was an English mathematician, codebreaker and one of the first computer scientists. The newly discovered papers were given by his mother, Ethel Turing, to her son's friend, fellow mathematician Norman Routledge, according to Rare Book Auctions, the company handling the sale. After Norman's death in 2013, one of his daughters stuck the papers in her own loft. When she moved into a care home almost a decade later, one of her daughters found the papers and considered shredding them. But she asked around the family and decided to get them appraised instead, taking them along to specialists Rare Books Auctions in a carrier bag. "Nothing could've prepared me for what I was about to find in that carrier bag," Rare Books Auction director Jim Spencer said in a statement. The auction house is offering the papers for individual sale. They are expected to fetch a price of 40,000 to 60,000 British pounds ($54,220 to $81,324) for the copy of "On Computable Numbers," which introduced the idea of a "universal computing machine," and a similar price for the signed dissertation. 'We even have Turing's first published paper from 1935 – Equivalence of Left and Right Almost Periodicity – which is simply a single sheet of paper," Spencer said. Ethel Turing made her gift to Routledge in May 1956, nearly two years after Turing died at age 41 on June 7, 1954. After a brilliant career at Princeton University, where he earned his doctorate, and Bletchley Park, the U.K.'s code-breaking agency, Turing worked at the U.K.'s National Physical Laboratory and the University of Manchester, where he designed some of the first forerunners of today's computers. RELATED STORIES —What is the Turing test, and is it still relevant? —Alan Turing's famous mathematical model was right all along —12 game-changing moments in the history of artificial intelligence But in 1952, while reporting a burglary, he acknowledged a sexual relationship with another man to police and was persecuted under an 1885 law that criminalized homosexual acts as "gross indecency." To avoid prison, he was forced to submit to chemical castration — doses of estrogen that had a feminizing effect. He was also denied entry into the United States. Turing was found dead in his home of cyanide poisoning, which may have been a result of suicide or an accident resulting from a chemistry experiment he was running at the time. His case inspired a 2009 apology from the British government and a 2017 law, known as the "Alan Turing Law," that retroactively pardons people convicted under historical legislation in England and Wales for homosexual acts.
