Emanuel Goldberg and His Knowledge Machine
Information, Invention, and Political Forces
Published on 1. April 2006
Book
Paperback/Softback
400 pages
978-0-313-31332-5 (ISBN)
Description
This book tells the story of Emanuel Goldberg, a chemist, inventor, and industrialist who contributed to almost every aspect of imaging technology in the first half of the 20th century. Despite his accomplishments, history has not been kind to Goldberg, a name all but erased from the annals of information science. An incredible story emerges as Michael Buckland unearths forgotten documents and rogue citations to show that, contrary to public opinion, Goldberg created the first desktop search engine, developed microdot technology, and designed the famous Contax 35 mm camera. A fascinating and illuminating tribute to a great mind and a crucial period in the history of information science and technology.
An incredible story emerges as Buckland unearths forgotten documents and rogue citations to make the case that it was Goldberg, not Vannevar Bush, who created the first desktop search engine. Goldberg, not Professor Zapp (a figment of J. Edgar Hoover's imagination), who developed microdot technology. Goldberg, not Heinz Kueppenbender, who designed the famous Contax 35 mm camera. Buckland firmly yet engagingly gives credit where credit is due, in the process shedding light on the circumstances that led to Goldberg's obscurity. The result is an illuminating tribute to a great mind, and a fascinating investigation of a crucial period in the history of information science and technology.
An incredible story emerges as Buckland unearths forgotten documents and rogue citations to make the case that it was Goldberg, not Vannevar Bush, who created the first desktop search engine. Goldberg, not Professor Zapp (a figment of J. Edgar Hoover's imagination), who developed microdot technology. Goldberg, not Heinz Kueppenbender, who designed the famous Contax 35 mm camera. Buckland firmly yet engagingly gives credit where credit is due, in the process shedding light on the circumstances that led to Goldberg's obscurity. The result is an illuminating tribute to a great mind, and a fascinating investigation of a crucial period in the history of information science and technology.
Reviews / Votes
"[P]rovides a detailed history of the development of the film industry in Germany and in Europe as it pertains to photography, cinema, and microfilm. In particular, it covers much of the history of Zeiss Ikon, which Goldberg helped to found and where he worked until forced to flee Nazi Germany. The book provides a detailed picture of the major figures in the industry and extensive discussion of how many film technologies were developed and how they function. With more than 100 pages of reference sources listed, it is an invaluable resource on the history of film technology. It is an easy read and is impressively researched." - Choice "More than a tribute or a history of a technology, this book is perhaps best read as a cultural history of sorts: the life story of a man and the technologies he helped to create and how both were profoundly shaped by the political and social forces of the time. The lesson implicit in Buckland's revealing narrative is that the man himself can be understood only in the context in which he was forgotten-and it is a story well worth remembering." - Libraries & the Cultural Record "The story of Emanuel Goldberg offers insights into ways of handling documentary information, and still more insights into the tragic effects that social and political developments can have on our lives. We can now honour him as he deserves. And thank Michael Buckland for making this possible." - Journal of Librarianship and Information Science "[P]rofessor Buckland's enormous achievement in bringing to light the career of a great scientist who, like many of his German and foreign colleagues, fell victim to the nationalistic madness that virtually destroyed German culture and science between 1933 and 1945. Emanuel Goldberg has at last received the understanding and recognition that his inventive genius deserved but were not possible in his lifetime. Recommended for the libraries of schools of library and information science, for schools with graduate programs in photographic technology, and for all scholars and students of the history of library technology." - College & Research LibrariesMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
603 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-313-31332-5 (9780313313325)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Michael Buckland is Emeritus Professor, School of Information Management and Systems, and Co-Director of the Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative, at the University of California, Berkeley. He has degrees in History from Oxford and Librarianship from Sheffield University. He has been Dean of the School of Library and Information Studies at Berkeley and President of the American Society for Information Science. Previous books include Library Services in Theory and Context (1983) and Information and Information Systems (Praeger, 1991).
Content
Preface Origins University Studies Berlin Sophie Posniak Graphics The Goldberg Wedge The Great War Ice and the Kinamo The Goldberg Condition Microdots Zeiss Ikon and the Contax Television The 1931 Congress The Statistical Machine Ludwig, Killinger and Mutschmann Paris Palestine Military Needs The Microfilm Rapid Selector Finale After Goldberg Goldberg in Retrospect Appendix A: Texts in German Appendix B: Biographical Sources Appendix C: Goldberg Patents Bibliography of Emanuel Goldberg's Writings General Bibliography Index