A Guide to the Irving J. Good Papers, 1925-2009 #Ms1982-018

Special Collections, Virginia Tech

Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
USA
Phone: (540) 231-6308
Fax: (540) 231-3694
Email: specref@vt.edu
URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu/

Processed by: Hannah Bochain and Adrienne Glenney, Student Assistants, and Kira A. Dietz, Archivist, Special Collections

Abstract

The Irving J. Good Papers 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

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from Irving J. Good Papers must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Irving J. Good Papers, Ms1982-018, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Acquisition Information

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 .

Scope and Content

The Irving J. Good Papers 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: Collected Works and 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 arranged in their original order at the time of donation.

Index Terms:

Persons:

Good, Irving John, 1924-2009

Subjects:

Faculty
Science and Technology
University Archives
University History
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Contents List

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
Box 13
I. J. Good Collected Works Vol. 37
Box 13
I. J. Good Collected Works Vol. 38
Box 13
I. J. Good Collected Works Vol. 39
Box 14
I. J. Good Collected Works Vol. 40
Box 14
I. J. Good Collected Works Vol. 41

Papers

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