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Rare Christopher Alexander text

Bench

Hi folks,

I've been having trouble locating any sort of copy of a text by Christopher Alexander titled "The Question of Computers in Design." It was referenced in a thesis I was reading last week and I've not been able to find it. Has anyone heard of this mystery piece or any idea if it exists online? Digital searches have come up with nothing.

 
Sep 9, 14 11:06 am
citizen

If all else fails... try contacting his office.

Sep 9, 14 11:09 am  · 
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Ben - that was his PhD thesis. Good luck - I don't know if it was ever formally published. 

Sep 9, 14 11:17 am  · 
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citizen

Notes on the Synthesis of Form (its early version, at least) was his diss at Harvard (1963).  

Sep 9, 14 11:25 am  · 
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drums please, Fab?

He diss'd Harvard?!?   Diss guy's an a-hole!

Sep 9, 14 11:35 am  · 
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ohfischal

Not sure if it exists as a stand alone piece of work. Looked through his online CV (http://www.patternlanguage.com/bios/vitae.htm) and it has it listed under Articles, Essays and Papers. 

Might want to check the listed publications and see if you can get a copy of one of those periodicals, or if they would be on file. My guess would be that someone like MIT Press or Harvard University Press and their associated libraries might have it, since it was published in Boston

Sep 9, 14 12:18 pm  · 
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ohfischal

To add, the University of Oregon libraries (as well as other libraries) has the Periodical LANDSCAPE from the 1950's onward, so they should have the Spring 1965 issue where it was listed as published.

http://uolibraries.worldcat.org/title/landscape/oclc/1589006&referer=brief_results

Sep 9, 14 12:30 pm  · 
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citizen - you're right. i got that one wrong. what i get for typing without trying to jog my memory. that one is in print.

Sep 9, 14 7:21 pm  · 
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citizen

Gregory, I didn't know that off the top of my head-- I found it on a quick search.  We can only retain so many facts!

Sep 9, 14 8:41 pm  · 
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Bench

Gregory + Citizen + Ohfischal,

I'm slow on the reply here, but thanks for all your input - it is much appreciated and wonderfully helpful. This particular article seems incredibly hard to find. I think I have found a copy of the journal edition in question at a nearby university; there have been some problems obtaining it but I think I will end up getting a copy. Excited to read it!

So once again, thanks for taking the time.

-Ben

Sep 18, 14 9:23 pm  · 
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