Description:

A.C. Clarke Signed Photo of Early Computer

A photograph showing feted British science fiction writer Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008) sitting in front of an early computer, signed and dated as "Ath C Clarke / 30 Aug 97" in the upper left corner. The black and white glossy photograph is near pristine, with a gentle wrinkle found at the center of the bottom edge and a few black scuffs found verso. Else near fine. 9.875" x 7.875."

Sir Arthur C. Clarke is considered one of the greatest science fiction and fantasy writers of the twentieth century, alongside Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein. Clarke co-wrote the 1968 screenplay for "2001: A Space Odyssey" with director Stanley Kubrick, using material from his 1951 pulp fiction short story "The Sentinel," along with other novelized material from the 1960s. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's seminal movie about space exploration, "2001: A Space Odyssey" was released one year prior to the Apollo XI moon landing, and a full ten years before the "Star Wars" franchise began. The movie normalized the idea of space travel, exploration, and colonization, and also introduced disturbing dystopian tropes, like malignant artificial intelligence, into mainstream popular culture. "2001: A Space Odyssey" proved hugely influential.

A zealous futurist, Clarke believed that technology would precipitate huge advances in communications and information-sharing as well as in space exploration. Clarke wrote a series of essays, beginning in the late 1950s, about what the future would look like; many of these "predictions" were incredibly prescient and anticipated such innovations as telecommunications satellites, the internet, virtual home assistants, smart speakers, and online banking and shopping. In a 1974 interview, for example, Clarke foresaw that his son would have "in his own house, not a computer as big as this, but at least a console through which he can talk through his friendly local computer and get all the information he needs for his everyday life…"

Thus over the course of his lifetime, Clarke was able to witness the fruition--either partial or complete--of many of his most far-fetched ideas, including omniscient computers. In this photograph, Clarke is shown using a Kaypro II computer, the first commercial computer released by Kaypro Corporation, a San Diego-based personal computer manufacturer, between ca. 1982-1984. The Kaypro II computer consisted of an aluminum case, a detachable keyboard, a state-of-the-art 9" high green font computer screen, a microprocessor, and two floppy disk drives. It was "portable" at 29 lbs. At its peak, the Kaypro Corporation was the fifth largest computer manufacturer in the world. The company went bankrupt in 1992.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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March 30, 2022 10:30 AM EDT
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University Archives

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From: To: Increments:
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$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000