Irving J. Good Papers

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
Newman Library
Virginia Tech
P.O. Box 90001
560 Drillfield Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24062-9001
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (540) 231-6308
Fax: (540) 231-3694
Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Irving J. Good Papers, Ms1982-018, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
6.6 Cubic Feet 14 boxes
Creator:
Good, Irving John, 1924-2009
Abstract:
The Irving J. Good Papers, 1925-2004, 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.
Language:
The materials in the collection are in English.
Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Irving J. Good Papers, Ms1982-018, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

The Irving J. Good Papers, 1925-2004, 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.

Biographical / historical:

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.

For more about Good, see the SCUA blog post, "I. J. (Jack) Good: Virginia Tech's Own Bletchley Park Connection" by Marc Brodsky, January 15, 2015.

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.

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into two series: Series I. Collected Works and Series II. 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 in their original order from the time of donation.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard