The Life and Work of George Boole: A Prelude to the Digital Age

by Desmond MacHale, Ian Stewart (Foreword)

This book, aimed at the general reader and now available again, is the first full-length biography of George Boole (1815–1864) who has been variously described as the founder of pure mathematics, one of the fathers of computer science and discoverer of symbolic logic. Boole is mostly remembered as a mathematician and logician whose work found application in computer science long after his death, but this biography reveals Boole as much more than a mathematical genius; he was a child prodigy, self-taught linguist and practical scientist, turbulent academic and devoted teacher, social reformer and poet, psychologist and humanitarian, religious thinker and good family man – truly a nineteenth-century polymath.

Genres: Biography, History, Science

360 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Jorge Oguilve-Araya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! I love it. Well written and with a very comprehensive background of key aspects of George Boole's life.

[Ivelisse Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accurate accounts of life and contributions of George Boole to Mathematics, Philosophy and Society.

There were accounts of his own writings that were in this book that were fascinating, and others that I believe were unnecessary.
Entertaining read.

[Cillian Flood · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I'm not one to read many biographies, so maybe I'm a bit harsh on this one. But really the short snippets about what his children went on to do was more interesting to me than the guy I came to read the book about. I don't think that's a good sign. It's not like his life was all that boring. It just felt as if the writer was writing a wikipedia article more than a book.

[Wesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Impressive man, not only for his accomplishments, but for his start from nothing and his noble life.