On this page I will list various books in my collection related to old calculators. These are not manuals or books related to a single brand of calculator, as those can be found on the relevant page. These are more general books, either covering all the calculators available at time of publication, or a retrospective overview of calculator history. They are listed in chronological order.
Illustriertes Orga-Handbuch erprobter Büromaschinen (PDF, 67.9 MB or archive.org)
Ludwig Brauner & Victor Vogt
1921
644 pages, hardcover, German
177mm × 260mm × 32mm
This book contains an extensive description of most of the office machines that were available in 1921. The first section is about typewriters, the second about calculators, then bookkeeping machines, duplicators, clocks, safes, and other machines. I have scanned the section on calculators and this is available at the links above.
Organisations-Lexikon Kurzgefaßtes Auskunftswerk für die gesamte Betriebsorganisation
Walter le Coutre
1930
587 pages, hardcover, German
185mm × 257mm × 46mm
This book is a dictionary of terms related to the office. This includes various brand names of office machines, such as calculators and adding machines. Unfortunately there are virtually no illustrations at all.
Efficiency op Kantoor
J. Anjema
1948
376 pages, hardcover, Dutch
168mm × 250mm × 20mm
This book lists the various machines and tools that were available for the office. It has many photos and illustrations. Its chapter on calculators includes some rare machines of the time such as the Stima 4 and the Dacometer 9. I have not found any copyright year, but other sources claim it was published in 1948.
Addiermaschinen Einst - ünd jetzt
Adolf G. Schranz
1953
128 pages, paperback, German
149mm × 209mm × 6mm
This book provides a history of adding machines, with many pictures of machines from Europe and the USA. Note that it does not include calculators. At the end it has a time line. There is no copyright year in the book, but other sources claim it was published in 1953.
Mashiny-Matematiki
M.S. Tukachinskiy
1958
130 pages, paperback, Russian
127mm × 200mm × 7mm
This is a Russian popular science book about calculating machines. It starts off with the Russian father of the calculator, Pafnuty Chebyshev. It includes descriptions of several types of mechanism, from pinwheel to Mercedes-Euklid, and then leads on to electronic computers.
Hulpmiddelen der Administratieve Techniek
A. Meeuwis
1959
298 pages, hardcover, Dutch
155mm × 232mm × 18mm
This book discusses administrative processes and the many tools to expedite them. There is a short section on calculators which explains and illustrates various types of calculator without explicitly mentioning specific brands. On one set of pages there are examples of different print reproduction methods glued in. I have not found any copyright year, but other sources claim it was published in 1959.
Grundlagen und Bauelemente elektronischer Ziffernrechenmaschinen
G. Haas
1961
269 pages, hardcover, German
155mm × 232mm × 24mm
This book describes in detail the components and workings of electronic calculators and computers. Unfortunately it does not describe the history, so makes no mention of mechanical calculation.
Deutsche Grossbetriebe 4 - Die Schreib- und Rechenmaschinenfabrikation
Olympia Werke AG, Wilhelmshaven
Herbert Morgenbesser
1962
84 pages, hardcover, German
148mm × 210mm × 10mm
This book ostensibly covers the history of the typewriter and calculator industry in Germany, but it is basically only about Olympia and Brunsviga. It contains many photos from the Olympia production line.
Die Leibniz'sche Rechenmaschine und die Julius-Universität in Helmstedt
Ernst-Eberard Wilberg
1977
148 pages, hardcover, German
180mm × 245mm × 11mm
Het kantoor in de loop der eeuwen
A. J. Marx
1980
104 pages, paperback, Dutch
156mm × 231mm × 5mm
This is a broad history of the office, from the ancients to now. It only briefly mentions calculators, and notably has an illustration of Frank Baldwin's pinwheel calculator but wrongly describes it as an Addressograph machine.
Büromaschinen aus Berlin
Museum für Verkehr un Technik, Berlin
Editor Rolf Stümpel, various authors.
Copyright 1988
83 pages, paperback, German
139mm × 279mm × 5mm
This book discusses various office machine that were manufactured in Berlin. Each chapter is by a different author and tackles a different subject, ranging from typewriters, to calculators, to copiers.
De La Machine a Calculer de Pascal à L'Ordinateur 350 Ans D'Informatique
Musée National Des Techniques
1990
64 pages, paperback, French
181mm × 240mm × 5mm
This is the book that accompanied a calculator exhibition. The first part of the book gives a history of the calculator, and the second part lists the various exhibits that were shown.
Antique Office Machines 600 Years of Calculating Devices
Thomas L. Russo
Copyright 2001
224 pages, hardcover, English
222mm × 286mm × 23mm
This gorgeous book shows a large number of calculators, all beautifully photographed. The short descriptions include an indication of its rarity and value. Note however that these are very subjective, based on the author's opinion, and don't always match my own experience.
Werbung für Büromaschinen in alter Zeit
Leonhard Dingwerth
2001/2002
48 pages, paperback, German
209mm × 238mm × 4mm
This book is a special publication for the magazines "Schreibmaschinen- und Bureau-Zeitung" and "Historische Bürowelt". It shows adverts for office machines through the ages. It mostly concentrates on typewriter ads, but there are a few calculators too.
Neue Blicke auf alte Maschinen Zur Geschichte mechanischer Rechenmaschinen
Martin Reese
Copyright 2002
ISBN 3-8300-0533-4
211 pages, softcover, German
203mm × 293mm × 13mm
This excellent book contains various detailed articles, each on a different brand of calculator. They are accompanied with many photographs and illustrations.
© Copyright 2023 Jaap Scherphuis, mechcalc a t jaapsch d o t net.