Irving J. Good Papers, 1925-2004, Ms.1982.018

Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech

Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
Business Number: 540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu
URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu

Hannah Bochain, Student Assistant, Adrienne Glenney, Student Assistant, and Kira A. Dietz, Archivist

Abstract

The Irving J. Good Papers, 1925-2004, consist of thirty-six bound volumes of photocopied articles reviews, interviews, correspondence, and lectures, created and complied by Good, a British mathematician and codebreaker during WWII, and Emeritus University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech. The collection also includes research notes, bibliographies of works, and correspondence.

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Irving J. Good Papers, Ms1982-018, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Irving J. Good Papers were donated to Special Collections in several accessions between 1982 and 2013. A final donation of the last 5 volumes of Good's bound works were donated in June 2016.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Irving J. Good Papers was completed in May 2013. The 2016 donation was processed in June 2016.

Biographical Note

Irving John Good (December 9, 1916-April 5, 2009) was an Emeritus University Distinguished Professor of Statistics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Educated at Cambridge University (Ph.D., mathematics, 1941; Sc.D., 1963) and Oxford University (D.Sc., 1964), Good went on to work with Alan Turing breaking German naval ciphers from 1941-1943. Following World War II, Good taught at Manchester University and Oxford University until 1967 when he moved to the United States. From 1967 until his retirement in 1994, Good taught at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He became a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and a distinguished member of the Crypto-Mathematics Institute as well as the author of The Scientist Speculates: An Anthology of Partly-Baked Ideas and Good Thinking: The Foundations of Probability and Its Applications .

For more about Good, see the SCUA blog post, "I. J. (Jack) Good: Virginia Tech's Own Bletchley Park Connection" by Marc Brodsky, January 15, 2015.

Scope and Content

The Irving J. Good Papers, 1925-2004, consist of forty-one bound volumes of photocopied articles reviews, interviews, correspondence, and lectures, created and complied by Irving John Good. Also included is a videotape, "From Codebreaking to Computing," which features interviews with Good and Donald Michie, commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of their joint work on the breaking of German codes for the United States during World War II. Additionally, there is a publication by Good, "Early Notes on Electronic Computers," a list of his published works, and some correspondence included in the collection.

Arrangement

The collection is organized into two series: Series I. Collected Works and Series II. Papers. The collected works were donated to Special Collections already bound and numbered. They are arranged in order, according to the spine labels. The Papers are in their original order from the time of donation.

Container List

Series I. Collected Works (Bound)

box 1
I.J. Good Collected Works Vol. 1-3
box 2
I.J. Good Collected Works Vol. 4-6
box 3
I.J. Good Collected Works Vol. 7-9
box 4
I.J. Good Collected Works Vol. 10-12
box 5
I.J. Good Collected Works Vol. 13-15
box 6
I.J. Good Collected Works Vol. 16-18
box 7
I.J. Good Collected Works Vol. 19-21
box 8
I.J. Good Collected Works Vol. 22-24
box 9
I.J. Good Collected Works Vol. 25-27
box 10
I.J. Good Collected Works Vol. 28-30
box 11
I.J. Good Collected Works Vol. 31-33
box 12
I.J. Good Collected Works Vol. 34-36

Series II. Papers

box-folder 13 folder: 1
"Early Notes on Electronic Computers"
box-folder 13 folder: 2
"From Codebreaking to Computing"
box-folder 13 folder: 3
I.J. Good- Personal PBI Notes
box-folder 13 folder: 4
I.J. Good- List of Published Works
box-folder 13 folder: 5
Irving John Good Collected Papers, Vol. 3
box-folder 13 folder: 6
PBI: Futures
box-folder 13 folder: 7-8
PBI (MENSA): Contributors- Acknowledged and Used
box-folder 13 folder: 9-10
PBI (MENSA): Correspondence
box-folder 13 folder: 11
PBI (MENSA): Herrell
box-folder 13 folder: 12
PBI (MENSA): Pending
box-folder 13 folder: 13
PBI (MENSA): Rejected Contributions
box-folder 13 folder: 14
PBI (MENSA): "Not Serjak or Harding"
box-folder 13 folder: 15
"Comments on PBI's Past
box-folder 13 folder: 16
"Serjak 1976-1978"