Vision&Reality
     of Hypertext and Graphical User Interfaces

Ted Nelson Media Center

curated by Matthias Müller-Prove; last update: Sat, May 30, 2026

An exhaustive list of papers and videos by Theodor Holm Nelson (THN).
Please let me know, if you find new references to Ted Nelson’s oeuvre: contact mprove

Thanks to Francesc Hervada-Sala, Hartmut Obendorf, and Jakob Voss.

1950s

1957 Audio THN (lyrics) / Richard Caplan (music): Anything & Everything | poster
1959 Video THN (director): The Epiphany of Slocum Furlow. 33'. Slocum Furlow Scene 7 – The Classroom
|1959| THN: Life, Love, College, etc. (originally entitled We Need a Sociology Department)

1960s

1961 THN: The Whole Thing /via: my whole 1961 philosophy manuscript, as messed up by flooding
22+22+26+24+18+28+22+30 pages | PDF
1965 THN:The Hypertext, in: Proc. World Documentation Federation Conf. 1965
1965 THN: A File Structure for the Complex, The Changing and the Indeterminate, ACM 20th National Conference, pages 84-100, 1965
1965 THN: Suggestion for an On-Line Braille Display. proceedings of the Society for Information Display autumn 1965
1965 THN: Computer-Indexed Film Handling. SMPTE conference preprint autumn 1965
1966 THN: Hypertext Notes: ten brief essays on hypertext forms circulated in manuscript circa 1966
22-Sep-1966 Audio THN: Hard and Fast Thoughts for a Softcopy World at Rand Corporation (67 minutes audio)
23-Dec-1966 THN: Xanadu66 Manual
1967 THN: Getting It Out of Our System. In George Schlechter (ed), Information Retrieval: A Critical Review. p. 191-210, Thompson Books, 1967.
1967 THN: Ted Nelson’s patent database diagram
1967 THN: Media 72 (unpublished)
1969 n.n.: Nelson’s the Name, and What He Proposes Could Outdo Engelbart. Electronics Magazine, 24 Nov 69, p. 79
1969 Steven Carmody, Walter Gross, Theodor H. Nelson, David Rice, and Andries van Dam. A Hypertext Editing System for the /360 in Faiman and Nievergelt (eds.) Pertinent Concepts in Computer Graphics: Proceedings of the Second University of Illinois Conference on Computer Graphics, pp. 291-330, University of Illinois Press, 1969

1970s

1970 THN: No More Teacher’s Dirty Looks. Computer Decisions September 1970, Fully reprinted in Ted Nelson, "Computer Lib" 1974
1970 THN: BARNUM-TRONICS, a grand declaration of intent in Swartmore Collage Bulletin, Alumni Issue Dec 1970
1970 THN: Ted Nelson hypertext notes – Ted Nelson’s handwritten notes on hypertext. These notes address the possibilities for hypertext applications in the field of patent law and include various annotated documents.
1971 THN: Computopia and Cypercrud. In: Roger Levien (ed.): Computers in Introduction. Rand Corporation, 1971
1973 THN: As We Will Think. Proceedings of Online 72 Conference, Brunel University, Uxbridge, England, 1973. Reprinted In: Nyce, James / Kahn, Paul (eds): From Memex to Hypertext : Vannevar Bush and the Mind’s Machine. p. 245. Academic Press, Boston, MA, 1991 | 1972 edition
1973 THN: A Conceptual Framework for Man-Machine Everything. proceedings of the AFIPS National Joint Computer Conference 1973
Nelson 74] THN: Computer Lib / Dream Machines; Distributors, South Bend IN, 1974. (some excerpts)
Computer Lib Dream Machines is being republished (2014).
ChronoLink to internet archive
1974 Ted Nelson, in Levien (editor):Computopia and Cybercrud. The Rand Corporation 1974
1974 Ted Nelson, Tom DeFanti and Dan Sandin: Computer Graphics as a Way of Life. proceedings of the first SIGGRAPH conference 1974
1977 THN: The Home Computer Revolution
1977 THN: Selected Paper 1965-1977, 124 pages
1978 THN: View from the Top – Techno Politics in Penthouse 10/1978, pp 52-54
1978 THN: Computer Lib in Omni 11/1978, pp 59-62 | on vendor lock-in
1979 Max Allen and Ted Nelson discuss the future of computers (CBC Radio Rewind), also on youtube

1980s

1980 THN: Replacing the Printed [Written??] Word: A Complete Literary System, Lavington, Simon H., : Information Processing: Proceedings of the 1980 IFIP World Computer Congress , 8, 1013-1023. North-Holland, Amsterdam
1980 THN: Interactive Systems and the Design of Virtuality. Creative Computing, 6(11 & 12), 1980 [by Tog’s Magic and Software Design
1981 THN: Literary Machines. Swarthmore, PA. 1981
1986 THN: The Tyranny of the File. Datamation magazine 15 December 1986
1987 THN: Literary Machines, volume Version 87.1. Published by author, 1987. /at internet archive
1987 THN: Computer Lib/Dream Machines. Microsoft Press, Washington, 16011 NE 36th Way, Box 97017 Redmon, Washington, 1987.
1987 THN: All For One and One For All, Hypertext `87 Proceedings, November 1987
1988 THN: Managing immense storage. Byte, 13(1):225--233, 1988.

1990s

1990 THN: The Right Way to Think About Software Design. In: Laurel, Brenda (ed): The Art of Human-Computer Interface Design. p. 235-243. Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1990 amazon.com
1990 Video Douglas Adams: Hyperland (at Internet Archive) | Hyperland (at Vimeo). 50' BBC 1990
11/1990 Video TEDtalk by TED at the TED2 conference, 9-Nov-1990 | better audio | toot
1990 THN: General Schematics: Introduction to the terminology
1990 Video THN: Interview with Ted Nelson, WGBH/BBC open vault | This interview was used in the WGBH documentary, The Machine That Changed The World
1991 THN: Speech delivered at MultiMedia Expo '91, New York
1992 XOC, Inc.: Xanadu Hypermedia Server, Developer Documentation, Mindful Press, (1992).
1992]IZHD THN: Opening Hypertext: A Memoir. In: Tuman, M.C. (ed): Literacy Online. The Promise (and Peril) of Reading and Writing with Computers. Pittsburgh : University of Pittsburgh (1992) – pp. 43-57
1992 Video THN (director): Silicon Valley Story. Preview 1.3. Starring Ted Nelson, Douglas Engelbart, Rick Mascitti, Stewart Brand, and Timothy Leary as the venture capitalist. The Timothy Leary Archives #189. (also at youtube)
1992 Ted Nelson interviewed by John Perry Barlow, Mondo 2000
1993 THN: Literary Machines. 93.1. Mindful Press, Sausalito, CA, 1993. LM(Oct 2000) / at Eastgate Systems
1994 THN: Xanadu: Document Interconnection Enabling Re-Use with Automatic Author Credit and Royalty Accounting. Information Services & Use , 14 (1994).
1994 Video THN: Cinema for the Mind, U.C. Santa Cruz part 2
1994 THN: Cinema for the Mind
1995 THN: Transcopyright:unpublished.
1995 THN: The heart of connection: hypermedia unified by transclusion. In: Communications of the ACM. Vol. 38(8) p. 31-33, 1995

“transpointing windows”

1995b Video THN: Where the Trail Leads at The Brown/MIT Vannevar Bush Symposium 1995 – Video Archive, YouTube
1995 Video Ted Nelson at the Vannevar Bush Symposium 1995 | internet archive
1996 THN: Generalized Links, Micropayment and Transcopyright, Interview by Doug Crockford, IBM Research (local paper copy)
1997 THN: The Future of Information. ASCII Corporation, Tokyo, 1997. INFUTscans(Oct 2000)
1997b THN: Embedded Markup Considered Harmful. In XML: Principles, Tools, and Techniques (World Wide Web Journal 2(4, Fall) 1997.
1997c THN: Crush and Crash: Logic of a Terrible Tomorrow. In: Communications of the ACM. Vol. 40 No. 2 p. 90-91, 1997
1998]  ––––– and Pam, Andrew: ZigZag(tm) Hyperstructure Kit:The ZigZag Commands. Project Xanadu, version 0.49 edition, 1998
1999 THN: Xanalogical Structure, Needed Now More than Ever: Parallel Documents, Deep Links to Content, Deep Versioning and Deep Re-Use. In: ACM Computing Surveys. Vol. 31 No. 4es, 1999.
Nelson 99b] THN: The unfinished revolution and Xanadu. In: ACM Computing Surveys. Vol. 31 No. 4es, 1999
presented at Engelbart's Unfinished Revolution (Symposium), Dec ’98
Nelson 99c THN: Time To Liberate The Web. In: Inter@ctive Week, October 25, 1999
academy.smc.edu/vanallen/tednelson_liberate.htm
1999 THN: JFax > PDF. e-mail with Matthias Müller-Prove, Oct. 1999
Nelson 99d THN: Way Out Of The Box
ted.hyperland.com/TQdox/zifty.d9-TQframer.html

2000 – 0s

2000 THN: Re: Do I know you?. email with Matthias Müller-Prove, Apr. 2000
2000 THN: Citizen Nelson
2001 THN: Philosophy of Hypertext, PhD thesis amazon
2001 Video Ted Nelson at ACM Hypertext 2001 in Aarhus

Some quotes:

0'] This is not my planet. And this is not my conference. However…
[2'10"] I think of the world wide web and XML and cascading style sheets is the ultimate triumph of the typewriter over the author. +++ three fundamental problems today: 1) hierarchical file structures 2) simulation of paper 3) the application prison +++ [12'40"] Software is a branch of movie making. +++ [17'50"] The question is about starting over. +++ ZigZag / Authoplectic structures where trees and tables are just edge cases. +++

2001 Audio Visionary Lays Into the Web / We have settled for less. Ted Nelson interview on BBC Go Digital, 2001
2001 THN: Some Alternative Computer Universe IN Creative Digital Media, p33-38
2003 THN: Structure, Tradition and Possibility; keynote at ACM Hypertext 2003, Nottingham,abstract, photo gallery with slides
2004 Video THN: Ted’s best lecure ever, Oxford 16-Jun-2004
2004 Video THN: Rose-Hulman Institute, Sep 30 2004
2005 THN: TransLit™, the new open-source Xanadu. new (1)2005, author info
2005 Video THN: The Politics Of Internet Software 'Geeks Bearing Gifts'. oxford internet institute: webcast (1:26') | archived

Quote:

27'] ”War is too important to be left to the generals“. – The software is too important to human life to allow the decissions to be made by those with only technical background.

? Video THN: A Very General Lecture; at Oxford
2007 Video THN: Transclusion: Fixing Electronic Literature. Google TechTalk Jan 29, 2007 (53')
2007 Video THN: Intertwingularity. When Ideas Collide. Video at University of Southhampton, May 2007 – a month before his 70th birthday (90') / at youtube
2007 Video THN: Ted Nelson on Software (7')
2007 Interview THN: Ted Nelson TV interview in Brazil

Some artist asked me the other night in Rio, "What are the opportunities for artist?" And I said, "It is the job of an artist to find opportunities!"

2007 Video Roda Viva | Ted Nelson | 11/06/2007
2008 Video THN: Ted Nelson at St. Paul's School, London, 5 Feb 2008
2008 Video THN: A very general lecture, 17-Mar-2008
2008 Video THN: Ted Nelson demonstrates Xanadu Space
2009 THN: Geeks Bearing Gifts (209 pages) at lulu.com / bei amazon.de
2009 Video THN: Ted Nelson at 50th reunion at Swarthmore, June 2009
2009 Video THN: Ted at University of Bologna, 2009.06.26

2010s

2010 THN: POSSIPLEX: Movies, Intellect, Creative Control, My Computer Life and the Fight for Civilization (380 pages) at lulu.com download, lulu.com printed
2010 Video Possiplex Book Launch at the Internet Archive, Oct 8, 2010
2011 Video THN: Ted Nelson at The Future of Text, 22-Sep 2011 – (Ted's presentation is between 1:40' – 2:00')
2011 Video THN: Ted Nelson on the future of text, October 2011
2012 Video THN: Computers for Cynics 0 – The Myth of Technology, 22-May-2012 (14' 45")
2013 THN: Ted Nelson at The Future of Text 2013
2013 Video THN: Ted at Homebrew Computer Club | uTube | different perspective, better audio at bilibili in China
2013 Video THN: Ted Nelson's Eulogy for Douglas Engelbart
2014 Video ––––– et al.: Intertwingled: The Work and Influence of Ted Nelson (1 day conferene at Chapman University, 24-Apr-2014)
8/2014 Interview Triangulation 164: Ted Nelson
2015 Video THN: Ted Nelson at The Future of Text 2015
2015 THN: What Box? in Dechow, Struppa (ed): Intertwingled – The Work and Influence of Ted Neslon. Springer
Douglas R. Dechow, Daniele C. Struppa: Intertwingled: The Work and Influence of Ted Nelson
2016 Video THN: Two Cheers for Now (45') Web Science Institute, U of Southampton
2016 Video THN: Norway, Software and Me, Oslo 2015
2017 Audio THN: Ted's Presentation at his 80th Birthday Party ()
2019 Video THN: Tools & Craft Ted Nelson, Interview by Devin Zuegel
4/2019 Video THN: There is Too Much to Say and it Goes in all Directions (62')
15-Feb-2019 Video THN: Hypercast! An experiment, 2019.02.15
9-Oct-2019 THN: Xanadu History 1960-2019, 2019.10.09
2019 Interview Pioneers: Ted Neslon

2020s

22-May-2020 Video Marc Weber, Ted Nelson et al.: Ted explains Xanadu to Marc Weber's seminar
29-May-2020 Interview Conversation between Ted Nelson and Lee Felsenstein :: 20' counter culture | 24' social internet | 28' SDS 940 (Engelbart’s SRI computer) |
Jun 2020 TheTedNelson 2.0 – all tweets by Ted Nelson; captured and looped by mprove
10-Oct-2021 Video A presentation at Vintage Computer Festival East
11-May-2022 Video THN: I Forgot, I Invented Hypertext, Stanford Seminars
Nov 2024 Video THN: Ted's Japan Lecture, Nov 2024

Sometime

? THN: Simplicity Versus Power in User Systems (unpublished, referenced in DM 52)
? THN: Errors in "The Curse of Xanadu," by Gary Wolf . ararat(June 2001)
THN: Biostrategy and Polymind
<97 THN: The Checkmate Proposal
? THN: WORLD ENOUGH: The Manuscript Edition. Contents(June 2001)
2001 THN: Home Page of Ted Nelson. xanadu.com.au/ted/, www.hyperland.com
? THN: Xanadu Papers, 18 pages
1950s-1980s Ted Nelson's Junk Mail Cartons collection at Internet Archive, more than 6,000 promotional marketing brochures on computers and office automation

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