Popular and scientific books and papers about abacus printed in different countries and in different languages are numerous. So the full bibliography has not compiled yet.

The list of publications consists of two parts. The first part contains some publications in English and French. There are some monographs that cover the history of abacus both in general and in particular. Our aim was to touch upon not only the history of abacus in ancient times, in ancient East and medieval Europe, but also in Latin America and the Arabian world.

The second part contains rather detailed list of publications about the history of abacus and Russian stchoty. All publications are in Russian language and have been published for the last 200 years. We hope this list will be useful for computer science historians from different countries.

Abacus history literature

  • Ascher M. The Logical-Numerical System of Inca Quipus // Annals of the History of Computing, vol. 5, #3, July-September 1983. Pp. 268-278.
  • Ascher M., Ascher R. Mathematics of the Incas: Code of the Quipu. Dover Publications, 1997.
  • Evans G. R. Difficillima et Ardua: theory and practice in treatises on the abacus, 950-1150 // Journal of Medieval History. 1977. #3. Pp. 21-38.
  • Evans G. R. From abacus to algorism: theory and practice in medieval arithmetic // The British Journal for the History of Science. 1977. 10(35). Pp. 114-131.
  • Gandz S. Did the Arabs know the abacus? // American Mathematical Monthly. 1927. 34(6). Pp. 308-316.
  • Gandz S. The origin of the Ghubar numerals, or the Arabian abacus and the articuli // Isis. 1931. 16. Pp. 393-424.
  • Gibson C. A., Francis N. Pandulf of Capua's De calculatione: An illustrated abacus treatise and some evidence for the Hindu-Arabic numerals in eleventh-century south Italy // Medieval Studies. 1995. 57. Pp. 293-335.
  • Gouzevitch D., Gouzevitch I. La guerre, la captivite et les mathematiques // SABIX: Bulletin de la Societe des amis de la bibliotheque de l'Ecole polytechnique. 1998. Pp. 31-68.
  • Ifrah G. The Universal History of Computing. From the Abacus to the Quantum Computer. (Volume II). Transl. from the French … New-York: John Wiley & Sons, 2000.
  • Iyer, R. Venkachalam. The Hindu abacus // Scripta Mathematica. 1954. 20. Pp. 58-63.
  • Lang M. Herodotos and the abacus // Hesperia. 1957. 26. Pp. 271-287.
  • Locke L. L. The ancient Peruvian abacus // Scripta Mathematica. 1932. 1. Pp. 37-43.
  • Moon P. H. The Abacus: Its History; its Design; its Possibilities in the Modern World. N.-Y.: Gordon and Breach Science, 1971.
  • Pullan J. M. The History of the Abacus. London: Hutchinson, 1968.
  • Ryan W.F. John Tradescant's Russian Abacus. Oxford Slavonic Papers, new ser., V, 1972. P. 83-88.
  • Smith D. E. Computing jetons. Numismatic Notes and Monographs, No. 9. N.-Y.: American Numismatic Society, 1921.
  • Taisbak C. M. Roman numerals and the abacus // Classica et Mediaevialia. 1965. 26. Pp. 147-160.
  • Vilenchik V. Ia. New evidence of the existence of an ancient Russian abacus // Soviet Anthropology and Archaeology. 1985. 24(2). Pp. 78-90.
  • Wassen H. The ancient Peruvian abacus // Comparative Ethnographical Studies, vol. 9. New-York: AMS Press, 1931. Pp. 189-205.

Literature in Russian

  • Apokin I. A., Maystrov L. E. Razvitie vychislitel'nyh mashin. M., 1974.
  • Apokin I. A., Maystrov L. E. Istorija vychislitel'noj tehniki (Ot prostejshih schetnyh prisposoblenij do slozhnyh relejnyh sistem). M., 1990.
  • Bashmakova I. G., Jushkevich A. P. Proishozhdenie sistem schislenija // Enciklopedija elementarnoj matematiki, 1 tom. M., L., 1951. S. 11-76.
  • Berezkina E. I. Matematika drevnego Kitaja. M., 1980.
  • Bolman A. N. Polnaja arifmetika na schetah. 3 izd. SPb.,1871.
  • Brilevskaja L. I. Schetnyj instrument general-majora Svobodskogo // Magija PK. 1999. #7 (19). S. 20-22.
  • Bubnov N. M. Podlinnoe sochinenie Gerberta ob abake ili sistema jelementarnoj arifmetiki klassicheskoj drevnosti. Kiev, 1911.
  • Burakov I. P. Arifmetika na schetah. Ì., 1861; 2 izd. M., 1878.
  • Valebnikova N. V. F. V. Ezersky - russkij buhgalter-novator (1836-1916) // Buhgalterskij uchet. 1993. #5. S p. 35-36.
  • Vigodskij M. Ja. Arifmetika i algebra v drevnem mire, 2 izd., ispravl. M., 1967.
  • Davidov F. I. Rukovodstvo k schisleniju na russkih torgovyh schetah dlja narodnyh uchilisch. Ì., 1891.
  • Djakov Ju. I. Novye privilegirovannye russkie schety. SPb., 1882.
  • Djakov Ju. I. Opisanie ustrojstva vnov' predlagaemogo snarjada, sluzhawego dlja obespechenija proizvodstva arifmeticheskih dejstvij: umnozhenija i delenija. SPb., 1874.
  • Evtushevskij V. A. Arifmeticheskie schety. SPb., 1871.
  • Zorin S. P. Prostye schety kak klassnoe posobie pri obuchenii skoromu schetu. M., 1907.
  • Iz istorii vychislitel'nyh ustrojstv (po materialam Arhiva AN SSSR) / Istoriko-matematicheskie issledovanija. Vyp. 14. M., 1961. S. 551-586.
  • Kiryushin E. Vychislenija na schetah. 6 izd., ispravl. M., 1925.
  • Kompanejskij N. Privilegirovannye dvojnye schety. SPb., 1882.
  • Kol'man E. Istorija matematiki v drevnosti. M., 1961.
  • Kudrjavcev M. N. Arifmetika na schetah. M., 1886.
  • Lesnevskij I. Arifmetika i prilozhenie pravil ee k vykladkam na schetah. Novgorod, 1852.
  • Malyshev I. Samouchitel' arifmetiki na schetah. 2 izd. M., 1897.
  • Markovskij V. Rukovodstvo k izucheniju arifmeticheskih dejstvij na schetah. Kursk, 1887.
  • Mihajlov P. Besedy o pervyh chetyreh pravilah i schetah. SPb., 1867.
  • Nikulin A. Prakticheskij schetnyj samouchitel'. Tver', 1863.
  • Orlickij D. Umnozhenie i delenie chisel na schetah s prisovokupleniem osobyh pravil slozhenija i vychitanija. SPb., 1830.
  • Orlickij D. Umnozhenie i delenie chisel na schetah // Syn Otechestva. Tom 131. 1830. S. 297-307.
  • Pavlov A. I. Ob upotreblenii russkih schetov v shkole i doma dlja samoobuchenija. Ural'sk, 1901.
  • Pogorel'skij P. N. Opyt izlozhenija sposobov reshat' chislovye zadachi na schetah. M., 1830.
  • Podoba F. G. Rukovodstvo k sobraniju zadach dlja uprazhnenij na schetah. M., 1878.
  • Polunov Ju. L. Ot abaka do komp'jutera: sud'by ljudej i mashin. Kniga dlja chtenija po istorii vychislitel'noj tehniki v dvuh tomah. Tom I. M., 2004.
  • Simonov R. A. Prinost na Hristo Botev v oblastta na obuchenieto po aritmetika // Izvestija na pedagogicheskija institut. Bulgarska akademija na naukite. Kn. XVIII. Sofija, 1965. S. 265-279. (in Bulgarian.)
  • Simonov R. A. Matematicheskaja mysl' Drevnej Rusi. M., 1977.
  • Spasskij I. G. Proishozhdenie i istorija russkih schetov / Istoriko-matematicheskie issledovanija. Vyp. 5. M., 1952. S. 269-420.
  • Tihomirov P. Arifmetika na schetah. SPb., 1830.
  • Fedorov A. M. stchoty. SPb., 1907.