Alan Turing: Unlocking the Enigma by David Boyle

[Jules]

This new biography of Turing is short, the length of a long article or essay rather than a full book. If you want a detailed exploration of the life and work of Turing, you'll have to look elsewhere, but this is a good overview that's well worth reading. It's well balanced on coverage of his personal life, his work at Bletchley Park, and his academic work, tying them all together so you can see how one element affects the others. It also brings the story up to date as I write this, having been prompted by the campaign for a posthumous pardon, and there's some interesting material about that which won't be in the older biographies.

It's well written and edited, solidly grounded in known facts but enhanced by the author's clearly marked interpretation of some of those facts to make it more than a dry recital, and I found it a very enjoyable read. If you're looking for something a little more in-depth than the online articles without diving into the full length works, this is an excellent introduction to Turing. I think it will also serve well as a synopsis volume for those who want an outline in addition to the full length studies.

The Kindle Single is currently priced at 99p, and excellent value for money at that price, even if a significant chunk of the stated page count is a preview of another book by the author. It's also available in a paper edition, although I'm not convinced that most readers would find it value for money unless they're die-hard completists, unable to use Kindle format ebooks, or looking for a gift for a Turing fan. There's also an audiobook version.

[Aussie54]

I've read one book about Alan's life (a while ago now, and I can't remember the title), and I'm always looking for new books about him. This one looks good. It's $3.99 for us here in Australia, so I might keep an eye out, in case the price drops, and I'll keep an eye on the State Library catalogue, in case it turns up at one of our libraries.

[Jules]

You probably read Andrew Hodges's book, which is *the* heavy duty biography. But there's been quite a flurry of new books (and new editons of older books) for the centenary of his birth in 2012 and the campaign for him to be pardoned.

It's annoying that amazon.au tends to have much higher prices, but that's Amazon's choice and not the author's. I think the 99p/US$1.55 price may be a monthly deal, so anyone who's interested should go and get it in the next couple of days.