Paperback. Blue cover and black title.

We provide an in-depth photographic presentation of this item to stimulate your feeling and touch. More traditional book descriptions are immediately available.  

•          Note: This book carries a £5.00 discount to those that subscribe to the F.B.A. mailing list

                          Very rare private copy of Jack Lang’s father

The Handbook of Scientific Instruments and Apparatus for the 1960 Exhibition was published by the Physical Society. It accompanied the 44th Annual Exhibition, which took place from January 18 to 22, 1960. This marked a pivotal year, as the Physical Society merged with the Institute of Physics to form the Institute of Physics and the Physical Society. 

The exhibition—a major mid-century event for researchers and manufacturers—was held at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Old and New Halls in Westminster, London. The handbook contains details on cutting-edge research, new scientific equipment, educational experiments, and work from the Craftsmanship and Draughtsmanship Competition. 

Key details from the 1960 Exhibition handbook and event include:

• The Merger: 1960 was the exact year the Physical Society merged with the Institute of Physics. 
• Trade Sections: Over 140 commercial manufacturers and instrument makers (such as Muirhead and Evershed & Vignoles) detailed their latest electrical, optical, and mechanical testing equipment in the handbook. 
• Research & Education: The guide featured specialized sub-sections on experimental equipment used in university laboratories and schools. 
• Format: The physical handbook was a soft-cover volume of approximately 250 to 300 pages, functioning both as an exhibition guide and an equipment directory

NOTE: This is an original  book from the library gathered by the famous Cambridge Don, computer scientist, food and wine connoisseur, Jack Arnold LANG. Note: Jack founded the Michelin Guide ‘Midsummer House’- Cambridge’s paramount restaurant. This dining experience is hidden amongst the grassy pastures and grazing cattle of Midsummer Common and perched on the banks of the River Cam. 

In 2008, Jack was one of the co-founders of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, alongside other members of the Department, and acted as the Foundation’s Chair. The project’s original goals were modest: to build and distribute low-cost computers for prospective applicants to our Computer Science degree. Initially the project was a “success disaster”, as Jack would say, as demand far outstripped the low-scale manufacturing plans. Ultimately the Raspberry Pi became the UK’s most successful computer with more than 60 million sold to date. Jack was drawn to the educational possibilities of the Raspberry Pi, its potential uses in emerging economies and the way it could support self-directed learning.