Computing incunabula. ECKERT JR. (J. PRESPER), 1919-1995. Comparison and Evaluation of Digital Computer Memory Systems. [Philadelphia], Remington Rand Inc., Eckert-Mauchly Division, unpublished presentation manuscript typescript, delivered March 12, 1952. Quarto (xx xxx xxx mm). Typescript document. Text leaves printed on single sides of mid-century corporate bond paper, annotated throughout with contemporary red crayon and ink indexing indicators coordinating the technical text directly to executive presentation slides. Autograph Manuscript Note laid in: A contemporary handwritten manuscript note in J. Presper Eckert's own hand reading: 'Original copy - (3 carbons).' Original mid-20th-century red plastic comb spiral binding over light cream-tan heavy cardstock covers. Exterior cardstock covers showing honest wear commensurate with an active engineering office artifact, including light surface age-soiling and small losses/paper peeling to the upper left and lower right corners. The red plastic comb binding remains fully intact. Internally excellent, the sheets crisp and exceptionally clean. Provenance: J. Presper Eckert Jr. (Author's personal master file copy, with his holographic file classification attachment). Speech by J. P. Eckert as presented on 12 Mar 52.' A primary source manuscript capturing the foundational engineering logic of J. Presper Eckert Jr., the legendary co-inventor of ENIAC and pioneer of modern computer memory systems.Delivered as an exclusive high-level technical address on March 12, 1952, this speech was prepared shortly after Remington Rand acquired the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation (EMCC) and while Eckert was actively serving as Director of Engineering finalizing the architecture of the UNIVAC I. At this exact juncture in computer history, volatile data storage was the premier hardware bottleneck.Within this master typescript, Eckert delivers a highly granular comparative evaluation of competing storage designs. He provides an exhaustive breakdown of his own revolutionary Mercury Delay Line Storage Systems (as deployed in the BINAC and UNIVAC), detailing a layout of 'a hundred channels' holding 'approximately 1000 pulses per channel' utilizing 'transforming crystals' and 'recirculation amplifiers'. He explicitly contrasts this with volatile Electrostatic CRT Storage Systems (such as Williams tubes), detailing the complex electron-beam physics required where a reading pulse must 'destroy the dot' to register binary data. Importantly, this copy features an autograph manuscript note written by Eckert himself confirming that this specific copy served as his official personal master copy ('Original copy') of the presentation text. As an unpublished internal master copy of a pivotal speech by one of the founding fathers of electronic computing, this document stands as a monumental artifact from the dawn of the digital age. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing