METROPOLIS, Nicholas & ULAM, Stanislaw. The Monte Carlo Method.
Washington: American Statistical Association, 1949. First edition, pre-print.

Very rare proof typescript of the first public account of the Monte Carlo method - "The generally accepted birth date of the Monte Carlo method is 1949, when an article entitled 'The Monte Carlo Method' by Metropolis and Ulam appeared." (Ilya M. Sobol). The Monte Carlo method, developed by Ulam, Von Neumann, and Metropolis, was originally used in 1947, at Los Alamos, to simulate detonation of the hydrogen bomb using the first electronic computer ENIAC. It has since then become one of the most successfully applied techniques of statistical sampling with broad applications in the fields of quantum physics, economics, chemistry, etc. This typescript is a rare proof copy of the paper, published in the 'Journal of the American Statistical Association' September 1949, which gave the first public description of the Monte Carlo method and coined its name. The typescript is offered here together with the first edition of Von Neumann's 1951 paper, were he first described his 'acceptance-rejection' method for generating random numbers with various distributions ('Various Techniques Used in Connection With Random Digits'), which was of essential importance for the Monte Carlo method. In this paper Von Neumann stated his famous dictum "Any one who considers arithmetical methods producing random digits is, of course, in a state of sin".

Typescript: 4to: 267 x 223 mm. 7 pages of mimeographed, typed and stapled sheets. Seperatley paginated 1-7 (the journal paper is paginated 335-341). Paper with agetoning, otherwise fine. Von Nuemann paper in: 'Monte Carlo Method', proceedings of the first symposium on Monte Carlo methods (Hook & Norman: Origins of Cyberspace, no. 942). Original printed wrappers, in fine condition. Neumann's paper is pp. 36-38 of 42.