Early Artificial Intelligence Research and Machine Reasoning at Stanford University, 1981

Aaron Barr

First Edition

Barr, Aaron; Cohen, Paul R.; Feigenbaum, Edward A. The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence. 1981. This three-volume work documents the system of artificial intelligence research consolidation and dissemination developed within Stanford University’s computer science community, bringing together approximately twenty-five years of work in heuristic programming, knowledge representation, and machine reasoning. The material demonstrates how early AI functioned as an organized research system, standardizing concepts such as semantic networks, frames, and natural language processing into a structured body of knowledge. Produced prior to the expansion of personal computing and data-driven machine learning, the set provides primary-source evidence for the study of knowledge engineering and the institutional frameworks that defined AI as a formal academic and scientific discipline.

Barr, Aaron; Feigenbaum, Edward A.; Cohen, Paul R., editors. The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence. Los Altos: William Kaufmann, Inc., 1981. First edition. Three volumes.
[1] Barr, Aaron & Feigenbaum, Edward A., eds. The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence, Volume 1. Introduces foundational concepts in artificial intelligence, presenting heuristic problem-solving methods and core programming strategies. Rear cover text emphasizes accessibility, stating the work is intended for scientists, engineers, students, and general readers, with deliberate reduction of technical jargon and structured presentation of essential ideas.
[2] Barr, Aaron & Feigenbaum, Edward A., eds. The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence, Volume 2. Expands on programming techniques and system design, incorporating contributions from multiple research laboratories and universities. The volume emphasizes the handbook’s role as both instructional guide and reference, integrating developments across the emerging AI research network.
[3] Cohen, Paul R. & Feigenbaum, Edward A., eds. The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence, Volume 3. Frames the set as a comprehensive and authoritative compilation, described in contemporary commentary as a large-scale synthesis of artificial intelligence research. Content continues the systematic presentation of AI methodologies and theoretical frameworks.

The set emerges from a period in which artificial intelligence research was concentrated within academic and government-funded laboratories, particularly at Stanford, where figures such as Feigenbaum advanced knowledge-based systems and expert systems. The handbook illustrates how the field organized itself through shared terminology, codified methods, and collaborative publication, establishing a foundation for later developments in computing. Three paperback volumes issued in uniform wrappers and housed in original printed slipcase; slipcase shows edge wear, rubbing, and small losses at corners with surface scuffing; volumes exhibit minor shelf wear, text clean and structurally sound. Overall very good condition. This complete set offers a coherent record of how artificial intelligence knowledge was systematized and transmitted at a critical stage in its early development.

Item #22985

Price: $480.00