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The Institute Archive Collection includes over 3500 works useful for interdisciplinary research on the life and works of Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914), the American Physicist, Mathematician, Logician, and Engineer, one of the greatest interdisciplinary scientists in history. Highlights of this collection include an annotated copy of Peirce's Century Dictionary definitions, a large number of doctoral dissertations and other specialized studies on Peirce, many specific editions of titles that were familiar to Peirce, books owned by Peirce featuring his own annotations, books written by his father and brother, some letters of Herbert Peirce, a Peirce family genealogy, and a number of period books which illuminate the context of Peirce's life and times.

Charles S. Peirce Published Works Digital Archive

Digital 3rd edition with a Bibliography of Secondary Studies, 1st and 2nd edition by Kenneth Laine Ketner.

We request that persons using these resources in research works refer to item location as PWcspD while including the appropriate URL.

The following is a suggested use pattern for PWcspD: View or download the Comprehensive Bibliography (linked below). Within the Comprehensive Bibliography, identify the item being sought, either as a "P" number or as an "O" number. Then in the List of P and O numbers (linked below), click on the P or O number to obtain the desired image.

Peirce's Century Dictionary Definitions Digital Archive

Peirce wrote a great many definitions for the Century Dictionary. A list of Peirce's Century Dictionary definitions can be found beginning on Page 44 of A Comprehensive Bibliography of the Published Works of Charles Sanders Peirce. Use the link below to search for Peirce's definition.

The complete Century Dictionary is available online. Notice that a CD-ROM of the Century Dictionary is available.

Baldwin Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology
The Contributions of Charles S. Peirce

The Institute is excited to share this resource prepared by Dr. Elize Bisanz, Shannon Parra, and Leandre van Der Bank. A sample document is linked below; however, the entire digital resource is available to researchers upon request. Contact us for more details.

US Patent 6819474 - Quantum Switches and Circuits. Peirce / Beil / Ketner

View the patent.

Explained in: A Triadic Theory of Elementary Particle Interactions and Quantum Computation by Ralph G. Beil and Kenneth Ketner.

The monograph summarizes an attempt to demonstrate that there are direct applications of Peirce's Logic of Relations, in particular, the Sign Relations, to the theory of elementary particles and their interactions. Further, the Peircean logic leads to new ideas on the construction of computers which function at the quantum level.

The F. Gentry Harris Collection

The F. Gentry Harris Collection includes 300 volumes of materials by, on and closely related to Peirce, 3000 volumes of research on psychiatry (including military), psychology, mathematics, logic, natural science and natural history; and several complete but unpublished papers on Peirce-related topics. (Additional information on F. Gentry Harris may be found in: Pilgrim in the ruins: a life of Walker Percy by Jay Tolson, and Genius, an article by Pamela Taylor Bloom in Vistas: Texas Tech Research, Winter 2001 Volume 9 No. 1)

The Zournas Gift

The Zournas Gift consists of approximately ten thousand books from the reference libraries of the pre-1948 Theatre Arts magazine, the pre-1987 Theatre Arts Books library, the working library of Robert Mercer MacGregor, and the personal library of George Zournas. The Gift is especially strong in the area of the performing arts: ballet and modern dance are especially well represented. In addition, there are hundreds of books on the fine and decorative arts, English and American literature, and Asian philosophy. Included are numerous books that have become classics in the field of travel and exploration, as well as hundreds of beautifully illustrated books on Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, Hindu, and Muslim art and architecture. There are also scores of copiously illustrated sales catalogues from the two great American auction houses, Christie's and Southeby's, and dozens of magazines concerned with the arts of Asia.

The Thomas McLaughlin Collection

The Thomas McLaughlin Collection includes volumes on Mathematics, logic, biology and cognition.

Dr. Thomas Graham McLaughlin (1933-2020) was a highly gifted mathematician; he earned A.B., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in Mathematics at the University of California at Los Angeles in 1959, 1962, and 1963, respectively. He was inducted into the California Eta Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in 1959. He taught at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign during 1963-1973, and at Texas Tech University from 1973 until his retirement in 2001. He had visiting appointments at Cornell University (1966-7) and Rutgers University (Spring 1979). He was author or co-author of more than sixty technical papers and monographs. At Texas Tech he served as Associate Chair of Mathematics at Texas Tech, 1987-1991 and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Arts and Sciences, 1991-1997.

Since his retirement in 2001, Tom was an active member of the Institute for Studies in Pragmaticism.