A really good book about the history of computers and how far they have come. I found this to be a fascinating book maybe not for everyone but for me, it worked since my father was working in computers in the fifties. A very good book.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book for my honest opinions in exchange. The book is pretty dry, but very informative. Everyone should read this book I think; learn more about the things we use everyday. I liked getting to know the history behind computers. Recommended read for sure.

Loved it! It was a very well narrated book. It stated the facts in a captivating way.
It's perfect for commute reading

History can be enjoyable

I enjoyed this book. It takes a thoroughly entertaining and mostly non-technical look at the past, present and future of computing. Yes, there was some techno-babble but not enough to be irritating. Dermot Turing explains everything thoroughly and writes with a good sense of humor. I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in science or history.

Alan Turing’s nephew has compiled a history of computing. The book is an interesting read for this reader who lived through much of it beginning in 1968. Lots of trivia bring the story alive.

Two flaws make the book less than perfect. First, the book reads as it were a compilation of magazine or journal articles compiled into a book, rather than a book written as a complete whole. This is most notable when the reader finds the same individuals reintroduced as if they were new characters in different parts of the book. One gets the impression that the author has forgotten that he had previously introduced the character in a previous context.

The other flaw is the occasional historical gaffe introduced by the author. For example, while discussing the problem of calculating taxes during the time of Caesar Augustus, the author says, “and as our informant is St Luke, who was a tax man, we can assume he is reliable.” But as most students of scripture know, St Luke was not a tax man, but a physician. St. Matthew was the tax collector. A small error, but it makes this reader question the other bits of trivia throughout the book. The scholar who may choose to use this book as a source would be wise to verify any details borrowed from the book.

The book does provide details that this reader has not seen elsewhere – making it an interesting read. It would be a valuable addition to the library of anybody interest in computer history. It also has the potential for serving as an ancillary text for the computer science service course or in the first course as part of a computer science degree.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

#TheStoryOfComputing #NetGalley #AI

This is a good reference book about the origin of the computing starting from the mathematical concepts and tools used by the Greeks and the Mayans and ending to the modern days in the reign of the artificial intelligence and semi-conductors.

This is a pretty dry read but is a very comprehensive book on the history of computers so would be good for students or someone interested in the subject like I am.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Computers and history - that's a book right up my alley. Turing, a nephew of the Alan Turing, takes the reader on a road from the Assyrans to the modern idea of AI. The language is entertaining and easy to follow and the book is richly illustrated - a lot of the picture material I hadn't seen before. My only nitpick would be the length and depth of each entry, there were many interesting facts I wanted to read more about (which likely would expand a book to a whole encyclopedia then). It serves well as a first introduction to milestones of the history of computing. A fun, informative read, I enjoyed this.

So what’s something you use every day, probably have no idea how it actually works and would never be able to build and yet is essential in me writing this review and you reading it? Right, computer. The ubiquitous necessary all important thing civilization has gotten along without until fairly recently. Even a fairly analog person can appreciate the awesomeness of computer and here’s a story of how it all came to be. Written so very appropriately by the nephew of the great Alan Turing. I must preface this by explaining just how nonscientific my brain is…tragically so. The left side is all active and engaged, the right side not so much. Sciences fascinate me in part because they are so unnatural for my brain to fathom and process. This book was perfect for someone like me, it utilized science that was very well explained and balanced it optimally with historical data and pictures. Yes, pictures. This book absolutely is a winner for properly visually arranged nonfiction. Every new idea, discovery, technology gets a picture or a photo. Terrific. The text is also no slouch, the story of computing is presented comprehensibly, succinctly and engagingly, the narrative is erudite and even humorous at times. And so from abacus to A.I. covering centuries of research, trial and error and spectacular achievements you’ll see how far we’ve made it when it comes to achieving a dream future (ok, my dream future) of having robot friends. This book just about checked all the boxes for a perfect autodidactic nonfiction reading experience. It is from a new publishing company, who not only did a great job with giving out a proper (well edited, all inclusive) digital ARC, but was also very friendly and nice about it. May their future be bright and their books interesting. Very educational and enjoyable read. Thanks Netgalley.