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bootstraps again

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Donna Richoux

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Jan 26, 2002, 2:03:09 PM1/26/02
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In the latest issue of "World Wide Words," available through e-mail or
at

http://www.worldwidewords.org

Michael Quinion discusses the origin of "to boot a computer" at some
length. His findings match fairly closely what we have discussed in this
newsgroup. A couple points of interest:

A) He found some earlier citations of the idea of "lifting oneself by
one's own bootstraps" than either Evan or I were able to. I asked him
for the exact quotes, and he kindly sent them to me:

1863 Bryant, Henry Beadman "Bryant & Stratton's Counting House
Book- keeping" 38 The person competent to construct a system of
philosophy on such a basis, would be able to show how a man might
lift himself by his own boot-straps, or get rich by taking money
from one pocket and putting it in the other.

1873 Cross, C R "Course in Elementary Physics" 43 It is because of
this principle that a person cannot lift himself into the air by
pulling at his boot-straps. The upward pull on the straps (action)
is just balanced by the downward push (reaction) of the feet.

1875 Patterson, Robert "Fables of Infidelity and Facts of Faith" 13
You will never lift yourself by pulling at your own boot-straps;
much less can a machine lift and carry itself.

B) Quinion mentioned that he could not find (just as we could not) the
"bootstraps" idea in the Baron von Munchhausen story collection, which
is sometimes pointed to as the source.

This reminded me that I recently got ahold of a second-hand copy of
Erich Kastner's version of _Baron Munchhausen_ (J. Messner, 1957), which
was translated into English, is generously illustrated, and would have
been in the school libraries and public libraries of many of us growing
up. (Kastner was well-known as the author of the German children's book,
_Emil and the Detectives_.)

The relevant passage, I think, is on p. 39, when the Baron, stuck in the
mud with his horse, says "I pulled myself up out of the marsh by my own
pigtail." This is illustrated with a black and white sketch on p. 36.
It's the right idea, but no boots or bootstraps mentioned anywhere.

I just searched through the Raspe edition of "The Surprising Adventures
of Baron Munchausen" at the On-line books page, and cannot find anything
resembling this anecdote there. Kastner may have gotten it from one of
the old German editions. If any of our German participants (or other)
are in a position to look in a really old German-language edition of
Munchhausen, I hope they would look for this story and report back.

(I imagine Kastner rearranged the order of the stories to suit himself,
but just in case not, he put this in the section where the narrator
talks about his beloved Lithuanian horse.)

--
Best wishes -- Donna Richoux


Mark Brader

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Jan 26, 2002, 2:21:05 PM1/26/02
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Donna Richoux writes:
> In the latest issue of "World Wide Words," available through e-mail or

(next Saturday)

> at
>
> http://www.worldwidewords.org
>
> Michael Quinion discusses the origin of "to boot a computer" ...
--
Mark Brader, Toronto "The last time I trusted you, we had Mark."
m...@vex.net -- Jill, "Home Improvement" (B.K. Taylor)

Donna Richoux

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Jan 26, 2002, 2:45:20 PM1/26/02
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Mark Brader <m...@vex.net> wrote:

> Donna Richoux writes:
> > In the latest issue of "World Wide Words," available through e-mail or
>
> (next Saturday)
>
> > at
> >
> > http://www.worldwidewords.org
> >
> > Michael Quinion discusses the origin of "to boot a computer" ...

The e-mailed issue is a week ahead of the website? I'm surprised. Oh
well, you'll all have to be on tenterhooks until then, unless you're
subscribers. But it's okay, I quoted the best bits.
--
Best -- Donna Richoux

J. J. Lodder

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Jan 26, 2002, 6:52:55 PM1/26/02
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Donna Richoux <tr...@euronet.nl> wrote:

> I just searched through the Raspe edition of "The Surprising Adventures
> of Baron Munchausen" at the On-line books page, and cannot find anything
> resembling this anecdote there. Kastner may have gotten it from one of
> the old German editions. If any of our German participants (or other)
> are in a position to look in a really old German-language edition of
> Munchhausen, I hope they would look for this story and report back.

Can't find it right now, but I should have a reprint of an illustrated
19th century edition (by Gustave Doré?) with the good baron pulling
himself, and his horse with him, out of the bog.
No bootstraps of course, the baron did much better than that,
he used his wig. Why dirty your hands needlessly?

Will search for it,

Jan

PS 'Bootstrap' theories have been fashionable in elementary particle
theory as well, before the rise of the standard model.
These are characterized by having no primary constituents.

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