Description
Papers include journals, 1986-1995; biographical and bibliographic materials; correspondence; typescripts of scholarly work,
fiction and poetry; music manuscripts; published articles and books; research files; photographs; and other materials. The
focus is primarily on his interest in computers and music and his authorship of science fiction stories, with a few published
articles and photographs pertaining to the Echo satellite. Other items of note include the report on a visit to British electronics
laboratories by J. R. Pierce and H. D. Hagstrum, 1944, and a transcript of a visit with H. G. Wells, 1944.
Background
John R. Pierce earned all three of his degrees at the California Institute of Technology: B.S. in 1933, M.S. in 1934, and
Ph.D. in 1936. He worked at Bell Telephone Laboratories from 1936 to 1971, where his work included electronic tubes, microwave
communications, and psychoacoustics. After leaving Bell, he joined the faculty at the California Institute of Technology where
he taught until 1980 and was a chief technologist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1979 to 1982. In 1983 he became a
visiting professor of music, emeritus, at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics at Stanford University.
In addition to his scholarly work, Pierce wrote science fiction under the name of J. J. Coupling, as well as his own.
Restrictions
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the
Head of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California 94304-6064. Consent
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission
from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner, heir(s) or assigns. See: http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/pubserv/permissions.html.
Availability
This collection is open for research.