Slide Rule Resources

To the casual observer, slide rules may seem so archaic a technology as to have slipped from public approbation. Far from it, as long as there are those who subscribe to the poet John Keats:
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness...
While we are surrounded by electronic calculators and computers nowadays, the slide rule will yet persist, not simply for lovers of old things, but more so, for lovers of beautiful things. There is a symmetry of the logarithmic patterns within it which is destined to live, ornately, forever.

And so, there are actually quite a few resources concerning slide rules available even in these decadent days. Allow me to point you toward a few.

Videos


Let's cut to the chase; hands-down the most important online resource is a series of videos put together by one Professor Herning. In some two dozen episodes he not only covers the essentials, but also reveals numerous surprising advanced techniques.

What makes his work so important is that doesn't just rehash all the old methods of the past, but uses a sound knowledge of how the slide rule is constructed to arrive at a number of elegant procedures. If nothing else, watching Professor Herning's videos will make you come away really appreciating (even if unconsciously) the internal beauty of logarithms.

Even better, the video and audio quality is superior, and the markings on the slide rules used in the demos are always eminently clear.

His tutorials are available on YouTube. You'd be well advised to subscribe to his channel at once, whether you're a novice or expert:


I recommend you start with his very first episode, Basic Slide Rule Theory and Use (Part 1), and just keep going. You won't regret it.

Sorting Out the Rules on the Web


It's somewhat surprising just how many manufacturers of slide rules there once was and just how many different types they made. Fortunately, there are a number of Web sites which have organized what was what, and who was who. Here are several I love to go back to all the time. There's a lot of great info in all of them.

Books and Manuals


In this day and age of e-readers (like Android tablets, Kindle and Nook), it's easy to accumulate a large stockpile of books on slide rules, and for free. I use the Android app Aldiko (also free), and have a wide variety of slide rule books ready to refer to at any time.

So, the question is, from where? Check these out:
As for paper (i.e., real) books, there are also quite a few treating slide rule operation at Amazon, some new, others second-hand. For example, the Dover reprint of Trigonometry Refresher (Dover Publications, Inc.: Mineola, New York, 2005), has a good chapter on basic slide rule use (pp. 187-221), not to mention a wealth of info on logarithms in general.

Finally, old manuals for specific slide rules show up frequently on eBay.

Where to Buy a Slide Rule


And now we come to the diciest question of all. I bought my first slide rule in 1975 or thereabouts at a grocery store (more or less as a curiosity). Those days are long gone. Unless you stumble upon one in an antique store or estate auction, your next best bet is eBay.

Keep your eyes open, though. I'd say about 50% of the listings are overpriced, 30% are fairly valued, 10% are junk (missing parts, whether noted or not) and 10% are genuine bargains. I've stumbled upon some remarkable rules at remarkable prices. Indeed, just today, I received a beautiful Aristo 903LL in its case, for $9 postpaid from Germany!

And there are several private firms that advertise on the Web. I'd particularly like to mention:


That's where I got my first "serious" rule, and they were a delight to do business with.

And if you've got a good resource in mind, be sure to share it here by leaving a comment. Remember, this is a non-commercial Web site for and by lovers of slide rules, so put a nix on promoting anything for sale.

Next installment: Cleaning and Maintenance