If you don’t know who Alan Turing is, shame, shame on you. He was one of the most important and influential figures in early computing and machine logic, and his work made the machine you’re using right now possible. 56 years after his untimely death, a large lot of his papers and works are going up on the block at Christie’s, and one concerned citizen is hoping to raise enough money to acquire them for display in a museum.
It’s an admirable effort he’s making, but I can’t help but think that when lots like this cost half a million dollars, deep private pockets are the only ones that can afford it. Even the world’s most famous art and science museums rely on loaned works and objects from private collections. I remember not long ago when a set of Leonardo’s notebooks were purchased by Bill Gates and subsequently displayed at the Seattle Art Museum. The same could easily happen with Turing’s notebooks, though I wouldn’t presume to guess the likelihood of it.
That said, if you share Gareth Halfacree’s concerns, feel free to put a few bucks in the fund. If they can’t purchase the notebooks, the money will go to benefit Bletchley Park, home of Turing and his fellow code-breakers during World War II.