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THE UNIVERSAL HISTORY OF COMPUTING
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THE UNIVERSAL HISTORY OF COMPUTING

FROM THE ABACUS TO THE QUANTUM COMPUTER

by Georges Ifrah & translated by E.F. Harding ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2000

Like many a software designer, the author has put plenty of information into his work, but has failed to make it...

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An ambitious but baffling history of automatic calculation, from ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic numbers to modern computers.

Ifrah, a former math teacher and independent scholar, precedes his discussion of computation with a condensed version of his first study, The Universal History of Numbers (not reviewed). The first section begins with a chronology of significant events in the development of writing and numerical notation: the entries start with notched bones dating from between 35,000 and 20,000 b.c., continuing through various ancient scripts and number-systems to the spread of the “Arabic” numerals now in use. Diagrams illustrating ancient number systems are intriguing, but dauntingly technical; examples of calculation presented in mathematical transcription without verbal explanations are bound to frustrate nonmathematical readers. A chronology of algebraic calculation is also intimidating, whipping through the formulations of Gauss and Fourier with the same blithe disdain for explanations. Ifrah slows down in his discussion of non-decimal number systems, especially the binary systems that underlie the operation of modern computers; in a fascinating twist, he notes, the 17th-century logician Leibniz based his invention of binary arithmetic on a misunderstanding of the ancient Chinese hexagrams of the I-Ching. The second section, which looks at the computer’s mechanical ancestors—abacuses, clockwork calculators of the late Renaissance, and slide-rules—before tracing the development of ENIAC, the first modern electronic calculator, and its descendants, offers more dramatic episodes (including Germany’s hair-raising successes with electromechanical calculation during WWII). However, the author does little to make crucial material—the elements of set theory, polyvalent logic, or the premises of symbolic calculus—understandable for a general audience, too often lapsing into laundry lists of events or concepts without discussion of the significance of the entries. Frequent intrusions by the translator, attempting to introduce sections, recapitulate, or supply missing information, further suggest Ifrah’s impatience with nonspecialists.

Like many a software designer, the author has put plenty of information into his work, but has failed to make it user-friendly. (b&w drawings)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2000

ISBN: 0-471-39671-0

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Wiley

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2000

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GENERAL NONFICTION

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DYLAN GOES ELECTRIC!
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DYLAN GOES ELECTRIC!

NEWPORT, SEEGER, DYLAN, AND THE NIGHT THAT SPLIT THE SIXTIES

by Elijah Wald ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 25, 2015

An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...

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Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.

The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.

An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.

Pub Date: July 25, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9

Page Count: 368

Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015

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GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER
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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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