What do you think?
Rate this book
Very Short Introductions #714
The History of Computing: A Very Short Introduction
Very Short Introductions : Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring
This lively Very Short Introduction reviews the central events, machines, and people that feature in established accounts of the history of computing, critically examining received perceptions and providing a fresh look at the nature and development of the modern electronic computer.
The book begins by discussing a widely accepted linear narrative of the history of computing, centred around innovatory highlights that start with the use of knotted cords to aid calculation, all the way to the smartphones of the present day. It discusses the problems and simplifications present in such a narrative, and offers instead an account, centred on users, that identifies four distinct historical calculation, automatic computing, information management, and communication. These threads are examined individually, tracing their paths and the convergences of related technologies into what has come to be called 'the information age'.
ABOUT THE The Very Short Introduction series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
This lively Very Short Introduction reviews the central events, machines, and people that feature in established accounts of the history of computing, critically examining received perceptions and providing a fresh look at the nature and development of the modern electronic computer.
The book begins by discussing a widely accepted linear narrative of the history of computing, centred around innovatory highlights that start with the use of knotted cords to aid calculation, all the way to the smartphones of the present day. It discusses the problems and simplifications present in such a narrative, and offers instead an account, centred on users, that identifies four distinct historical calculation, automatic computing, information management, and communication. These threads are examined individually, tracing their paths and the convergences of related technologies into what has come to be called 'the information age'.
ABOUT THE The Very Short Introduction series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
160 pages, Paperback
Published November 25, 2022
9 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 27, 2023
This is not a "fun" read if you are looking for a glamorous historical tale of computers coming to envelope modern life. Swade presents the case that computing, like any other facet of history, contains threads which independently develop over time and convergence to the current instantiation. There are many accolades given to people who in any practical sense were not impactful, while the less exciting tales of innovation are often where we see civilization progress. This starts with the abacus and spends a decent chunk of time discussing pre-electronic computing devices, and an incredibly short amount of time on anything resembling modern computers.
The narrative of the book provides a unique insight into the philosophy of history, and forces the reader to view humanity through the lenses of each time period, instead of trying to give a story about progress. It talks about business dealings and wartime needs, and doesn't mention social media. The brilliance of this book is in where humanity is at the current moment, and seeing how abnormally entwined we are with computers.
This book was dry, slow, boring, and quite frankly not fun to read. I wouldn't recommend it unless someone wants a better understanding of the history of computing. Sadly, I think that it would be useful at a population level to understand the difference between how we interact with computers now compared to the rest of civilization, but that just doesn't provide the dopamine hits that we all have become addicted to.
Brilliant author, brilliant book. I appreciate that it puts the reader in the position to need to care about the topic in it's own context.
The narrative of the book provides a unique insight into the philosophy of history, and forces the reader to view humanity through the lenses of each time period, instead of trying to give a story about progress. It talks about business dealings and wartime needs, and doesn't mention social media. The brilliance of this book is in where humanity is at the current moment, and seeing how abnormally entwined we are with computers.
This book was dry, slow, boring, and quite frankly not fun to read. I wouldn't recommend it unless someone wants a better understanding of the history of computing. Sadly, I think that it would be useful at a population level to understand the difference between how we interact with computers now compared to the rest of civilization, but that just doesn't provide the dopamine hits that we all have become addicted to.
Brilliant author, brilliant book. I appreciate that it puts the reader in the position to need to care about the topic in it's own context.
January 9, 2026
Best book on the topic I have read, and the most concise by far
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews