Latest news with #codebreaker
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."
Yahoo
4 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.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Science
- The Guardian
Wartime codebreaker Alan Turing's scientific papers sell for £465,000 at auction
A cache of Alan Turing's most important scientific papers have been sold for £465,000 at auction, more than three times their expected sale price, after being saved from the shredder. It had been estimated that the collection would sell for £150,000 in 13 separate lots but it fetched a total of £465,400 on Tuesday, which is understood to be a record for Turing material. The treasure trove of some of the wartime codebreaker's most important work was discovered gathering dust in a loft at a property in Bermondsey, south London. The archive was gifted to Turing's best friend but it was almost destroyed after being found during a house clearance last November. The papers were saved at the last minute when their significance was recognised at a family event and they went under the hammer in Etwall, Derbyshire. It included a personally signed copy of his 1938 PhD dissertation, Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals, which sold for £110,500. Also featured was 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. Described as the first programming manual of the computer age, it sold for £208,000, according to auctioneers Hansons. The company's founder, auctioneer Charles Hanson, said some of the items were among the 'most important lots I've sold in my time', adding: 'It was a sale like no other, with lots like no other, a very memorable and special occasion which I was honoured to be a part of. 'They are iconic memories of an iconic man.' The papers, known as offprints, had originally been given by Turing's mother, Ethel, to her son's friend and fellow mathematician Norman Routledge. They were produced in small numbers and distributed within academia, and rarely appear on the market. Routledge kept the collection of the codebreaker's offprints, which were eventually rescued by his nieces and nephews. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Jim Spencer, the director of Rare Book Auctions, said: 'Nothing could've prepared me for what I was about to find in that carrier bag. 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. 'Literature has always been my forte, not mathematics, so the past few months of intensively researching and cataloguing these papers has left me feeling that Alan Turing was superhuman.' Turing was one of the codebreakers at the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes who played a vital role in cracking the German Enigma code, which was crucial to the allied victory in the second world war.
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.
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Alan Turing papers saved from shredder to be sold in Lichfield
Papers written by World War Two codebreaker Alan Turing are to go up for auction after they were found in a loft and almost 1930s collection, which included a copy of Turing's PhD dissertation, is expected to make tens of thousands of pounds when it goes under the hammer in Lichfield, Staffordshire, on 17 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 Book Auctions, which is handling the sale, said the papers were originally gifted to Turing's friend and fellow mathematician Norman Routledge. After 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. The niece said the family were "bowled over by the valuations and level of enthusiasm" after the collection was inspected by Rare Book papers were called offprints and were used as a method of correspondence between PhD dissertation from 1938 or 1939, called Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals, is signed by Turing and has been valued at £40,000 to £60, paper called On Computable Numbers from 1936 or 37, which introduced the world to the idea of a "universal computing machine", was also valued at £40,000 to £60, collection also includes a letter from Turing's mother Ethel, dated 16 May 1956, in which she wrote about the manner of her son's death and requests for her to write a biography. Jim Spencer, director of Rare Book Auctions, described the collection as "the most important archive" he had ever handled."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 WW2 Turing invented the idea of a machine that could decode and perform any set of instructions and a decade later would design an electronic computer, capable of running any he was prosecuted for homosexual acts in 1952 and was chemically castrated before he died from cyanide poisoning in 1954, with an inquest concluding received a posthumous royal pardon for his conviction in 2013. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
