Hacker News Reader

Comment by ocschwar | Hacker News Reader

I'm reading what Nelson wrote in the 60's right now, and I'm dumbfounded by the guy's genius.

But if I were reading his stuff in the 60's, I'd probably consider it frivolous nonsense and get on with my day.

Today's Ted Nelsons are probably working in obscurity for the same reasons.

I really want to get a copy of his book Computer Lib/Dream Machines but I just can't justify the $100 or so for a beat up copy.

Many university libraries will offer access to non-affiliated individuals for a non-crazy amount. Even if you don't want to pay, if the library is open to the public, you can walk in, find the book on the shelf and read it at a desk.

I don't know if you will be able to find it in a library anymore. I think most library copies have been stolen and sold on eBay.

Here's a download link for a pdf copy if that helps: https://libgen.pw/item/detail/id/736641?id=736641

Found using this site: http://gen.lib.rus.ec/

All of the online versions I've seen look like photocopies of a fax. Do you know if that's what the original looked like?

Wow, that is not the best quality. I haven't read this one yet (def plan on at least glancing through it now). I found this http://www.newmediareader.com/book_samples/nmr-21-nelson.pdf it's just a sample showing chapter 21, but it is much nicer looking.

He'll sell you a reprint directly. http://hyperland.com/LibPage

Thanks!

I wish it were $40 though. A $100 is a bit outside of my impulse purchase zone.

It sounds a lot, consider it a fine piece of art in it's own right and I don't think you'll lose your investment over time... The reprint by M$ does not do this original large format version which is crisp and sharp.

It's a beautiful book. He also signed it for me, in case that's a thing you value.

I'd love to know how different his reprints are the the originals. I've seen one from the original run, and they looked the same to me. (But it had been a while.)

I've got a copy that I bought new while in grad school (back in the '70s). I read and reread it; it's a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I kept in in my grad student office in the CS building, so to protect it and my other CS books from wandering off I stamped my name with bright ink on a number of the pages. The name stamps probably ruined its value as a collector's item :( ...

One thing I remember from it was his fascination with APL and with the even more off-beat language TRAC. TRAC is a Turing complete macro language first implemented as an interactive programming environment[1].

[1] http://hopl.info/showlanguage2.prx?exp=276

Can you give an example of something he wrote that would be considered "frivolous nonsense" in the 60's?

Read page 12 here:

https://ia801502.us.archive.org/17/items/SelectedPapers1977/...

OMG. I thought this guy's mannerisms were some kind of acquisition of fame. He was talking like that in the 60s. No wonder nobody listened! Perversely, I now have far more respect for him.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com