SML/NJ Early Versions from DBM's 9-track tapes
  Pontis Systems in Chicago attempted to recover contents of nine 9-track tapes
  from Bell Labs around October 2012. Some contents was extracted from 7 of the 9 tapes.
  Most of the content is early versions of SML/NJ (1,2,3,4,5,6,11,22,35,36), but there
  are also copies of source code for Cardelli's compilers (1984) and Edinburgh
  Standard ML (1985).
  
Tape1.zip
Directory 36, containing SML/NJ Version 0.36, 4 July 1989 (renamed mlsave.36 for consistency).
  src appears to be complete.

Tape2.zip
Directory mlsave.22, containing mo.cps, mo.vax, and src.  (SML/NJ Version 0.22, 18 Oct 1988?)
  src is incomplete (only absyn, basics, bignums, boot). mo contains object files corresponding
  to the original source files, including those that are missing.  Tape contents
  were probably truncated.
  This may be the first version distributed outside BL/Princeton (or possibly Version 11 was first).

Tape3.zip
Directory "tape3 2" (renamed tape3).  Contains:
  dbm : dbm home directory snapshot, Dec 1986 (dates range from Aug 83 to Dec 86)
    dbm/ml contains notes, comments, etc on SML design (see e.g. edin/meeting),
    as well as pscr, Pascal source for "ML under VAX" (dated April/May 84),
    BL ML course in Sept 83.
  ml:
    mlkit: Source for Pose 4.1 of Unix ML
    sml: Source for Edinbrugh SML (for VAX/Unix 4.2bsd) as of May 1985 "standardization" meeting
    news: sources for Polymorphism news letters

Tape4.zip
Directory "tape4 2". Contains:
  mlsave.4: SML/NJ Version 4, 24 September 1887
  mlsave.5: SML/NJ Version 5, 2 October 1887
  mlsave.6: SML/NJ Version 6, 8 October 1987

Tape5.zip
tape5 - a truncated Tar archive, which unpacks to:
  mlsave.1: SML/NJ Version 1, 14 August 1987
  mlsave.2: SML/NJ Version 2, 11 September 1987
  mlsave.3: SML/NJ Version 3, 11 September 1987 (merger of Version 2 and Version 2.tyj)
  mlsave.4: incomplete copy of Version 4, containing only link and mo

Tape6.zip
Directory "tape6 2". Contains:
  mlprof.1: initial profiling version, between Versions 13 and 14
  mlsave.11: SML/NJ Version 11, 9 November 1987  (possibly distributed?)
  
Tape9.zip
Directory 35 (renamed mlsave.35). SML/NJ Version 35, date unknown (no Version
file), but probably first half of 1989 based on date of Version 36.
  src
  mo.m68
  mo.vax

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Additional material from 4 QIC tapes, read with the help of Vaughn Pratt.

tape1:
  mlsave.20: SML/NJ Version 0.20, 13 June 1988 (src/doc/VERSION.20)
  mlsave.21: SML/NJ Version 0.21, 29 August 1988 (from file creation dates, no doc)
  mlsave.22: SML/NJ Version 0.22, 9 September 1988 (src/doc/VERSION.22)
  mlsave.23: SML/NJ Version 0.23, 9 November 1988 (from file creation dates, no VERSION.23)

tape2:
  mldist.33: SML/NJ Version 0.33, 31 March 1989 (from file creation dates; src only)
  mldist.39: SML/NJ Version 0.39, 22 August 1989 (from file creation dates; src only)
  mldist.44: SML/NJ Version 0.44, 29 November 1989 (from file creation dates)
  mldist.53: SML/NJ Version 0.53, 21 March 1990 (from file creation dates)
  mldist.54: SML/NJ Version 0.54, 29 March 1990 (from file creation dates; src only)
  mldist.57: SML/NJ Version 0.57, 10 May 1990 (from file creation dates)
  mldist.59: SML/NJ Version 0.59, 4 June 1990 (doc/NEWS)
  mldist.60: SML/NJ Version 0.60, 13 July 1990 (doc/NEWS and file creation dates)
  mldist.61: SML/NJ Version 0.61, 25 July 1990 (from file creation dates)
  mldist.62: SML/NJ Version 0.62, 1 August 1990 (doc/NEWS)
  mldist.63: SML/NJ Version 0.63, 11 August 1990 (from file creation dates; src only)
  mldist.64: SML/NJ Version 0.64, 25 August 1990 (doc/NEWS)
  mldist.65: SML/NJ Version 0.65, 10 September 1990 (doc/NEWS)
    [missing SML/NJ Version 0.66, 2 October 1990]
  mldist.67: SML/NJ Version 0.67, 21 November 1990 (from file creation dates)
  mldist.68: SML/NJ Version 0.68, 14 March 1991 (from file creation dates)
  mldist.69: SML/NJ Version 0.69, 3 April 1991 (doc/NEWS)
  mldist.70: SML/NJ Version 0.70, 1 July 1991 (doc/NEWS)
  mldist.71: SML/NJ Version 0.71, 31 July 1991 (from file creation dates)
  mldist.72: SML/NJ Version 0.72, 28 August 1991 (from file creation dates; src only)
  mldist.73: SML/NJ Version 0.73, 10 September 1991 (doc/NEWS)
  mldist.74: SML/NJ Version 0.74, 10 October 1991 (from file creation dates; src only)
     [pre-release of Version 0.75, see README]
  sml386: SML/NJ Version 0.75? port to i386, 7 February 1992 (from file creation dates)

tape4:
  mlsave.33: SML/NJ Version 0.33, 5 April 1989 (supercedes Tape2 version)
  mlsave.35: SML/NJ Version 0.35, 14 June 1989 (from file creation dates)
    [version from Tape9.zip above appears to be better]
  mlsave.36: SML/NJ Version 0.36, 4 July 1989 (doc/NEWS.36)
    [missing SML/NJ Version 0.37, 9 August 1989]
  mlsave.38: SML/NJ Version 0.38, 22 August 1989 (from file creation dates)
  mlsave.39: SML/NJ Version 0.39, 8 September 1989 (doc/NEWS.39, supercedes Tape2 version)