I just added 20 new Sliderule books to the Sliderules Category. Nothing major just some more instruction manuals I have run across for various makes and models of sliderules.

To me one of basic essential supply for long term survival are some sliderules tucked away. Keep any eye out at yard sales and estate sales. They can often be picked up for a couple dollars. Alternately you can print out some of the Slide Rule Images in the Category and make your own.

Truth is pretty much any manual for any sliderule can teach you the basics of how to use one. Some makes and models have unique tables on them for particular functions that another might not but once you grasp the basic functions of one you can use pretty much any other.

The circular sliderules are a bit different than a standard straight one since the tables wrap around and allow some functionality that a straight line one doesn’t. That is quite specialized however and if you look at any of the thousands of pictures of NASA Engineers working on getting man to the Moon it’s rare to see a circular rule.

As to what sliderules have to do with anything… there won’t be any calculators after an EMP or other collapse that takes out the grid. Sliderules however got us to the Moon. They built Hoover Dam and the Interstates and pretty much every airplane and automobile prior to the 80s. They are simple, robust and basically just a couple pieces of wood with printing on them… yet powerful enough to design spaceships and airplanes and massive industrial infrastructure. They were really only abandoned in the 70s and 80s as they were replaced by Electronic Calculators.

The Librarian

p.s. The Zip file in the Category has been updated too though for some reason it doesn’t show up in the Last 30 Days pages. Looking into that.