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The Oughtred Society Slide Rule
Reference Manual

First Edition is SOLD OUT!
The Second Edition Now In Stock!

The Oughtred Society Slide Rule Reference Manual
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The Second Edition Oughtred Society Slide Rule Reference Manual

Many people have asked for a comprehensive and well illustrated overview of slide rules that covers everything from operation and care to construction, as well as makers to materials. Something that would be useful and interesting to students, collectors, hobbyists, and teachers, without being too complex, pedantic or boring, as textbooks and manuals tend to be. This was an interesting task, and many people world-wide have worked very hard for almost a year to create something worthwhile to address this need. The first edition sold out a thousand copies quickly, and for almost a year afterwards, nothing further was available.

This is the second edition of the Oughtred Society Slide Rule Reference Manual, compiled with help from collectors all over the world, and organized, written, photographed and designed by talented volunteers from the Oughtred Society. An incredibly rich visual publication, it has almost 100 color photos. The second edition has all corrections and additions included, and compressed spacing to reduce wasted white space, as noted on the OS web site. There is at least one color photo on almost every page of the book except the index and table of contents. Although the slide rule has a wonderful history stretching back for centuries, the latest digital technology and internet collaboration was used to create and print this work, and in fact, to allow you to read this information, which is no small irony. There are only 190 copies available in this second edition press run (400 total printed), so don't miss out on your chance to get this very useful reference. The second edition now has the title on the spine (THE orignal was blank), so it's easier to find on a shelf.

High Quality, Perfect Bound

Color Cover & 97 Photographs

102 Pages

8.5" x 11" Letter Size Pages

US$35 per Copy +shipping

How the Book is Organized:

Preface:
The Oughtred Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and mechanical calculating devices. In the past 13 years, it has evolved to an international organization of some 400 members. It is noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of The Oughtred Society, published twice per year. The Society's activities are carried out by members who volunteer to do various jobs and projects. Membership is open to anyone. Additional information and a membership application are available in the brochure at the end of this manual.

This is the first new slide rule manual to be published in many years. It contains traditional instructions for use of the slide rule, highlighted by many color photos of slide rules and other items, plus much additional contemporary information, including chapters on such subjects as Slide Rules and the Internet; Major Companies and Some of Their Most Common Models (with color photos of all); Collecting Slide Rules; Cleaning and Caring for Your Slide Rule.

The information presented and the language used in this manual are intentionally as basic as possible. We hope you will find it to be easy to read as well as informative, and that the "how to" instructions and examples are easy to follow. For complex mathematics and concepts we refer you to the many existing manuals of the past.

With this new manual, The Oughtred Society wishes to introduce itself and to provide a service to the great numbers of slide rule aficionados, collectors and users with whom it currently is not acquainted. In doing this, the Society extends an invitation to all to join us in this fascinating pursuit.

Preview Pages:

Manual Page 1, CLICK for bigger PIC!

Manual Page 2, CLICK for bigger PIC!

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Contents:

      Table Of Contents:                                                   
      1.  What is a Slide Rule ?                                             
              Definition of a Slide Rule � and What It Can and Can't Do      
              Unique Characteristics of the Slide Rule                       
              How Slide Rules Are Made                                       
              What Slide Rules Do                                            
              What Slide Rules Have Done                                     
      2.  How a Slide Rule Works                                             
              Logarithms Are Simple                                          
              Common Logarithms                                              
              A Couple of Strange Terms --- Characteristic and Mantissa      
              The Starting Point in Slide Rule Operation, Multiplication     
              Numbers Less Than One                                          
      3.  History of the Slide Rule                                          
              Just Before the Slide Rule                                     
              Chronological History of the Slide Rule                        
              The Slide Rule's Last Century, the 20th                        
              Epilogue                                                       
      4.  Common Types of Slide Rules                                        
              Basic Types --- Closed Body Linear, Open Body Linear, Circular 
              The Materials Used to Make Slide Rules                         
                  Wood                                                       
                  Celluloid on Wood or Bamboo Core                           
                  Plastic                                                    
                  Aluminum                                                   
                  Steel                                                      
              Scale Arrangements on Common Slide Rules                       
                  Mannheim and Enhanced Mannheim                             
                  Rietz                                                      
                  Darmstadt                                                  
                  Log Log Duplex                                             
              Slide Charts                                                   
      5.  Less Common Types of Slide Rules                                   
              Less Common Linear Slide Rules                                 
              Other Less Common Types and the Quest for Greater Precision    
              Some Scarce Linear Slide Rules which Are Popular               
              Some Rare Circular Slide Rules which Are Popular               
      6.  Learning Your Way Around a Slide Rule                              
              Basic Terminology --- The Anatomy of a Slide Rule              
              What the Scale Letters Mean on a Basic Slide Rule              
              How to Read the Scales                                         
      7.  Performing Basic Calculations                                      
              Multiplication                                                 
              Division                                                       
              Chain Calculations and Reciprocals                             
              Squares and Square Roots                                       
              Cubes and Cube Roots                                           
              Dealing with Pi                                                
      8.  Performing Advanced Calculations                                   
              Trigonometry                                                   
              Logarithms                                                     
              Exponentiation, Fractional Powers and Roots and Others         
      9.  Tricks and Time Savers                                             
     10.  List of 24 Common Slide Rule Scales and Their Functions            
     11.  Advanced Slide Rule Features                                       
              Gauge Marks                                                    
              Multi-Line Cursors                                             
              Color Coding                                                   
              Rulers                                                         
              Addiators                                                      
              Electronic Calculators                                         
     12.  Slide Rules for Special Applications                               
              Chemistry, Surveying, Electricity, Radio                       
              Electronics, Business and Finance, Navigation, Metric Units    
     13.  Major Slide Rule Makers and Some of Their Common Models            
              United States: Keuffel & Esser, Pickett, Post, Dietzgen, etc.  
              Japan: Hemmi, Relay/Ricoh, Concise                             
              Germany: Faber-Castell, Aristo, Nestler, Reiss                 
              England: Thornton, Unique                                      
              France: Graphoplex                                             
              Denmark: Diwa                                                  
     14.  Books and Manuals                                                  
     15.  Cleaning and Caring for Your Slide Rule                            
              General Comments                                               
              Wood Body Slide Rules with Celluloid Surface                   
              Plastic Body Slide Rules                                       
              Bamboo Body Slide Rules                                        
              Cleaning Cursors                                               
              Repairing Cursors                                              
              Cleaning Metal End Braces                                      
              Leather Cases                                                  
     16.  Slide Rules on the Internet                                        
              General Information                                            
              Slide Rule Organizations                                       
              Dealers --- Places to Buy Slide Rules                          
              Private Slide Rule Collections                                 
              Slide Rule Museums                                             
              Slide Rule Manufacturer                                        
              Slide Charts                                                   
     17.  Collecting Slide Rules                                             
              Why Collect Slide Rules?                                       
              What Slide Rules to Collect?                                   
              What Makes a Slide Rule Valuable?                              
     18.  The Oughtred Society Brochure and Membership Application           
	 + Detailed INDEX

Contributors:

The Oughtred Society gratefully acknowledges the contributions of time and talent by several of its members which enabled the creation of this manual.

Walter Shawlee of Slide Rule Universe conceived the idea for the manual and provided content for many chapters from his website.
Ted Hume served as project coordinator and primary writer and editor.
Robert Koppany provided graphic design and layout and handled the printing.
Robert Otnes photographed the slide rules included herein.
Bill Jollie wrote the History chapter and much of several other chapters.
Gary Flom contributed to and edited the "how to" instructions.
Kate Matthews provided the valuation guidelines in the chapter on collecting slide rules.
Gary Flom, Ted Hume, Bill Jollie, Robert Koppany and Walter Shawlee provided editorial review.
Slide rules were loaned for photographing by Gary Flom, Louis Gotlib, David Hecht, Ted Hume, Bill Jollie, Jerry McKenna and Robert Otnes.

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