Turing’s Notebook to Be Auctioned
A handwritten notebook by Alan Turing, the World War II code-breaking genius depicted by Benedict Cumberbatch in the Oscar-nominated “The Imitation Game,” is going on the auction block. The 56-page manuscript was written at the time the British mathematician and computer science pioneer was working to break the seemingly unbreakable Enigma codes used by the Germans throughout World War II. It is being sold by Bonhams in New York on April 13. It is expected to bring at least $1 million.
The notebook contains Turing’s complex mathematical and computer science notations. It is believed to be the only extensive Turing manuscript known to exist, the auctioneer said. It dates from 1942, when Turing was trying to break the seemingly unbreakable code with his team of cryptanalysts at Britain’s World War II code and cypher school Bletchley Park. In one entry Turing writes about a complex calculus notation.
