History of engineering and technology Books

Book SynopsisWhat the f*ck is the Dark Web, and how does it even work?Whether it's from dodgy acronym-titled crime shows to news stories designed to terrify you down to your socks we've all heard about sites like Silk Road and the ways criminals use cryptocurrency online. But did you know that among the various shady corners of the dark web you can also find portals to the BBC and Facebook?The thing is even the way the everyday internet works is a mystery to us and its darkest corners are, of course, more deeply shrouded. So, let's go on a journey from the birth of the Net through the strangest dark services - need a hitman to bump off your superfluous...er...beloved spouse? - to the surprisingly positive uses of dark technology, including dodging the watchful eye of oppressive censors.Over half of us can't remember a time before the internet - and for the rest it's increasingly difficult to imagine life without the damn thing! It's about time we understood more about it and we can start with the question: What The Fuck is The Dark Web?

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Book SynopsisIn I Know You Got Soul, Jeremy Clarkson writes about the machines that he believes have ''soul''. It will come as no surprise to anyone that Jeremy Clarkson loves machines. But it''s not just any old bucket of blots, cogs and bearings that rings his bell. In fact, he''s scoured the length and breadth of the land, plunged into the oceans and taken to the skies in search of machines with that elusive certain something.And along the way he''s discovered:*The safest place to be in the event of nuclear war*Who would win if Superman, James Bond and The Terminator had a fight*The stupidest person he''s ever met*What an old Cornish institution called Arthur has to do with 0898chat lines*And how Jean Claude Van Damme might get eaten by a lion . . .In I Know You Got Soul, Jeremy Clarkson tells stories of the geniuses, innovators and crackpots who put the ghost in the machine. From Brunel''s SS Great Britain to the awesomTrade ReviewBrilliant...laugh-out-loud * Daily Telegraph *Outrageously funny...will have you in stitches * Time Out *Very funny...I cracked up laughing on the tube * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisThe first global history of the epic early days of the iron railwayTrade Review“One does not have to be a train-spotter to read it: it tells a crucial story of our social and economic history, and does so with recourse to exceptional scholarship.”—Simon Heffer, The Telegraph“Written with great confidence and considerable aplomb, The Coming of the Railway is a must for the train enthusiast.”—Jeremy Black, New Criterion“The iron railway truly made the modern world. . . . [An] authoritative, superbly footnoted account.”—Jack Watkins, Country Life“Even for those who have a library of books on railways this is a good addition. It is strongly recommended.”—Rev Dr Peter Howson, Methodist Recorder"This is the sort of book for which the word 'masterly' was coined.”—Roger Backhouse, Welsh Railways Research Circle“The nineteenth century was defined by the railway. In this compelling new book David Gwyn weaves together the disparate strands that led to its emergence as the singular new technology of its age; a monumental study, erudite, authoritative, and full of wider historical insights.”—Sir Neil Cossons, former director of the Science Museum London“This book is a real eye-opener for rail enthusiasts and scholars with a detailed and well researched account of the dawn of the railways. The rapid advancement in technology in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that the railways brought our society is truly astounding.”—Siddy Holloway, historian and presenter“A fresh perspective on the early railway story across time and world space, with a wealth of intriguing details. Gwyn ably demonstrates the role played by overlapping technologies, harmonising under the influence of shaping forces.”—Susan Major, author of Early Victorian Railway Excursions“The railways were the most important invention of the nineteenth century, but they only emerged thanks to a series of technological developments. This book documents these in a thorough and revealing way which makes it essential reading for anyone interested in the origins of this great invention.”—Christian Wolmar, author of The Great Railway Revolution

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Book SynopsisA spectacular visual history of video games from 1958 to the present.In the past 65 years, video games have evolved from primitive computer-lab experiments into one of the world's most popular forms of entertainment and many would say an important new art form. Video Games traces every step of this fascinating journey, from Pong to the Atari 2600; to the 8-bit and 16-bit consoles; to Wolfenstein 3D and Doom; to Playstation and Xbox; to MMORPGs; to Minecraft and Fortnite; to Twitch streaming.The lively text gives equal attention to the games, the gaming platforms, and the personalities and subcultures of the gaming world. It is illustrated throughout with beautiful colour photographs of mint-condition retro hardware and cartridges from one of the world's finest collections, and with screenshots of classic games. Video Games: A Retro-Spective is the perfect nostalgic gift for gamers of every generation.

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Book SynopsisSuitable for those in cultural studies, media and communication studies, the musicology, and the history of technology, this book explores the cultural origins of sound reproduction. It describes a distinctive sound culture that gave birth to the sound recording and transmission devices so ubiquitous in modern life.Trade Review"[Sterne’s] prose moves gracefully and nimbly beneath the academic robes. . . and the topic is so intimately connected to the way we experience the world around us that it can’t help resonating. . . . Forget what you think you know about ours being a visual culture, in which sight is the privileged sense." - Ruth Walker, Christian Science Monitor"[A] stimulating and provocative work. . . . Sterne excels as a writer. . . . [T]his book will amply reward readers who want a broader perspective on the culture of sound. Sterne's book will no doubt reach the wide readership it deserves." - David Hochfelder, Business History Review"[P]rovocative. . . . Sterne breaks new ground, focusing on the need to understand sound and listening as issues of history." - Leon Botstein, Los Angeles Times"[M]eticulously researched. . . . One of the book's most significant achievements is that it revisits a fairly well-worn territory, finds a new and noteworthy story to tell about that territory, and manages to open up a sizable vein of important, yet unexplored, questions about that territory for future research." - Gilbert B. Rodman, Cultural Studies"[E]xcellent. . . . [A] critical and long-overdue intervention. . . . [B]rilliant. . . . Sterne's research is wide ranging and impressive. . . . This is a book that all scholars of sound should read, to overturn some of our neat assumptions about sound and its technological and cultural manifestations and to clear the ground for new approaches." - Michele Hilmes, American Quarterly“Jonathan Sterne confronts what is certainly the most challenging topic in the study of auditory culture—what happened when modern technologies came crashing into ways of sound making, communicating and listening—with outstanding results. Through disciplined arguments bolstered by plenty of original research and with refreshing critiques of many cherished notions, The Audible Past forms a basis from which to address central questions of communication studies, musicology and music history, film sound and media studies, perception and culture, all those areas where listening and sound impinge upon cultural history and theory.”—Douglas Kahn, author of Noise, Water, Meat: A History of Sound in the Arts“Jonathan Sterne’s The Audible Past boldly stakes out a largely neglected but important topic, the history of sound in modern life.”—John Durham Peters, author of Speaking into the Air: A History of the Idea of Communication”Jonathan Sterne’s The Audible Past has come along to set the record straight on the cultural origins of sounds and systems, on machines and the mechanisms of culture. He’s come here to give us the lowdown on how the technology evolved. Think of the book as a kind of sonic map of the origins of the way we listen to things around us, as a primer for the sonically perplexed.”—Paul D. Miller a.k.a. Dj Spooky that Subliminal Kid"[A] stimulating and provocative work. . . . Sterne excels as a writer. . . . [T]his book will amply reward readers who want a broader perspective on the culture of sound. Sterne's book will no doubt reach the wide readership it deserves." -- David Hochfelder * Business History Review *"[E]xcellent. . . . [A] critical and long-overdue intervention. . . . [B]rilliant. . . . Sterne's research is wide ranging and impressive. . . . This is a book that all scholars of sound should read, to overturn some of our neat assumptions about sound and its technological and cultural manifestations and to clear the ground for new approaches." -- Michele Hilmes * American Quarterly *"[M]eticulously researched. . . . One of the book's most significant achievements is that it revisits a fairly well-worn territory, finds a new and noteworthy story to tell about that territory, and manages to open up a sizable vein of important, yet unexplored, questions about that territory for future research." -- Gilbert B. Rodman * Cultural Studies *"[P]rovocative. . . . Sterne breaks new ground, focusing on the need to understand sound and listening as issues of history." -- Leon Botstein * Los Angeles Times *"[Sterne’s] prose moves gracefully and nimbly beneath the academic robes. . . and the topic is so intimately connected to the way we experience the world around us that it can’t help resonating. . . . Forget what you think you know about ours being a visual culture, in which sight is the privileged sense." -- Ruth Walker * Christian Science Monitor *Table of ContentsList of Figures ix List of Abbreviations for Archival and Other Historical Materials Cited xi Acknowledgments xiii Hello! 1 1. Machines to Hear for Them 31 2. Techniques of Listening 87 3. Audible Technique and Media 137 4. Plastic Aurality: Technologies into Media 179 5. The Social Genesis of Sound Fidelity 215 6. A Resonant Tomb 287 Conclusion: Audible Futures 335 Notes 353 Bibliography 415 Index 437

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Book SynopsisIsambard Kingdom Brunel: Victorian icon, engineer, artist, architect, designer and visionary, entrepreneur and celebrity. His astounding feats changed the British landscape, and this new book tells the story of his awe-inspiring achievements and innovations as a railway engineer.Trade Review'Incredibly detailed yet a very readable account, I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the history of railway engineering.' -- The Writing Desk, January 2024'We all have our different views of the man who worked (and smoked) himself to an early death, but the author reminds us of the remarkable legacy left by, arguably, the greatest of British engineers. Highly recommended.' -- Model Rail Magazine, February 2024'Iron, Stone and Steam is also the story of the great engineer’s complex character and the roles of the people who helped the creative, and sometimes dictatorial, genius create his railway.' -- West Country Life Magazine, January 2024

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Book SynopsisMore than any other technology, cars have transformed our culture. Cars have created vast wealth as well as novel dreams of freedom and mobility. They have transformed our sense of distance and made the world infinitely more available to our eyes and our imaginations. They have inspired cinema, music and literature; they have, by their need for roads, bridges, filling stations, huge factories and global supply chains, re-engineered the world. Almost everything we now need, want, imagine or aspire to assumes the existence of cars in all their limitless power and their complex systems of meanings.This book celebrates the immense drama and beauty of the car, of the genius embodied in the Ford Model T, of the glory of the brilliant-red Mercedes Benz S-Class made by workers for Nelson Mandela on his release from prison, of Kanye West''s ''chopped'' Maybach, of the salvation of the Volkswagen Beetle by Major Ivan Hirst, of Elvis Presley''s 100 Cadillacs, of the Rolls-Royce Silver Trade ReviewThe car has totally changed our society. Bryan Appleyard is just the writer to get to the heart of this phenomenon. * Melvyn Bragg *As cars undergo their latest electro-smart evolution, Bryan Appleyard's extraordinary cultural history of them explains how they changed our everyday experience. This is a brilliantly written and thoughtful account of the machines which made our lives recognisably modern. * Michael Burleigh *An entertaining and superbly researched story about the industrial age's most astonishing and enchanting creation. * Gavin Green, Car Magazine *Very few people could do justice to this extraordinary story - and with this book Bryan Appleyard sets the bar impossibly high for anyone else. * Rory Sutherland *An exhilarating spin through the history of the machine that transformed our culture from its earliest incarnation to its imminent demise. * Saga Magazine *The prose is sharp, well organised and well researched. * Country Life *Bryan Appleyard is well known to readers as a thoughtful interpreter of our frets and anxieties... a thinking man's Clarkson. * Spectator *This engaging history of the motor car is full of rich anecdotes and detail. * Sunday Times *This fond look at the history, development and significance of the automobile is supercharged by wonderful writing... As sharply as he draws portraits of the key players, Appleyard, one of the liveliest minds in journalism, is at his most acute when musing on the cultural effects of the car. * Observer *Appleyard, an unashamed petrol-head, rightly celebrates the pleasures of driving and the freedoms that the automobile has brought us... immensely readable. -- Nick Rennison * Daily Mail *[Audio edition review] An enjoyable ride through the history of the automobile ... This is a romp of a book. After a provocative introduction on the social significance of the automobile, Bryan Appleyard takes us through a motorcade of inventors ... John Sackville has one of the most taking voices in the audio industry, sounding enthusiastic and endlessly interested in a way that makes it impossible not to keep listening. -- Christina Hardyment * THE TIMES *Appleyard draws upon a vast knowledge of science, mechanics and cultural lore as he successfully supports his thesis that the car didn't merely influence the modern world - it created it. -- Jonathan Kellerman * The New York Times *An encyclopedic retrospective of how the car came to be, how it has evolved over the past century and how, as the subtitle suggests, it has shaped the world we live in. -- Mark Yost * The Wall Street Journal *

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Book SynopsisA brilliantly original exploration of humanity's intimate relationship with technology, from the emergence of our species to the emergence of AI and beyond.

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Book SynopsisLearn about the rarest muscle cars ever produced with this new book. In the world of muscle cars, many were produced and sold in large enough quantities that they would be considered special but not particularly rare at the time of production. The Boss 429 and Plymouth Superbird were produced for racing homologation reasons, and since they were very expensive to produce, the manufacturers ensured that they would be rare. However, there is rare, and then there is rare. Prototypes and special factory builds, factory production cars, and super car tuners and builders are all covered in this new book by muscle-car historian Wes Eisenschenk. Some are single examples, some are very close to being the last remaining example, and all are extremely rare. Some have no surviving example known to exist. Featured cars include a Boss 429 Cougar, a 1971 Pontiac Ventura II Sprint 455, a 1965 Chevelle 300 COPO car with the L78 option, and a 1970 FK5 Deep Burnt Orange Metallic Superbird. Dealer promotional specials include a 1968 AMC AMX Von Piranha, a 1970 Dick Harrell LS6 454 Camaro, and a 1973 Nickey Chevrolet 427 Nova. These are cars that you will read about but likely never see. For a fun ride through muscle-car history and great stories of the rarest muscle cars ever produced, add this book to your automotive library today.

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Book SynopsisViewing Norfolk Southern Railway covers the history of this railroad, beginning with the South Carolina Canal & Rail Road Company, which in 1830 operated the first regularly scheduled passenger train in the United States. Among the many railroads that became part of Norfolk Southern was the Pennsylvania Railroad, whose completion of the Horseshoe Curve in 1854 was an outstanding engineering achievement that transformed land transportation across Pennsylvania, contributing to the growth of the railroad. By 1882, it became the largest railroad in the world. Norfolk Southern's special painted locomotives, representing many of the railroads that became part of its heritage, are included in this book.Table of Contents1 Predecessor Railroads 11; 2 Multicolored Norfolk Southern Railway 35; 3 Run Through Power on Norfolk Southern Railway 53; 4 Horseshoe Curve and Altoona 61; 5 NS in Gallitzin, Cresson, Lilly, and Cassandra, Pennsylvania 71; 6 Harris Tower Railroad Museum 83; 7 Norfolk Southern Sunbury Line 87; 8 Enola Yard and Harrisburg Yard 93; 9 Annville, Pennsylvania, Station 95; 10 Macungie Rail Fan Pavilion 97; 11 Wernersville Train Station and Adjacent Area 99; 12 Valley Forge Station 103; 13 East Penn Railroad 105; 14 R. J. Corman Railroad/Pennsylvania Lines 109; 15 New York Susquehanna Western Railway 111; 16 Juniata Valley Railroad 113; 17 Buffalo Southern Railroad 115; 18 Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad 117; 19 Westfield, New York’s Amazing Rail Site 123.

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Book SynopsisAt the time of its construction, the Forth Bridge was the largest bridge in the world, and to this day it remains a breathtaking monument to the vision and confidence of the Victorian age which created it. For seven years, thousands of men from all over Europe worked beneath the waters of the Forth and hundreds of feet in the sky on what was widely regarded as the eighth wonder of the modern world. Sheila Mackay vividly recounts the story of the bridge from its inception to the opening ceremony in 1890. Featuring more than a hundred archive photographs which detail every stage of the project, this book is a magnificent celebration of one of humankind’s most impressive engineering achievements.Trade Review'Dramatic photographs of the Bridge under construction ... masterpieces of clarity and precision from the early days of photography' * The Scotsman *'A book to stir wonder and pride' * The Herald *

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Book SynopsisHave you ever wondered how we have so many amazing inventions? Many inventions just started out as an idea. This series explores some of the most important inventions throughout history and takes a look at the brilliant people whose big ideas gave us lots of the things that we take for granted today.

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Book Synopsis'The most important book to read about the AI boom' (Wired): The 'gripping' (New Yorker) true story of the first time machines came for human jobs—and how the Luddite uprising explains the power, threat, and toll of big tech and AI today Named one of the best books of the year by The New Yorker, Wired, and the Financial Times • A Next Big Idea Book Club 'Must-Read' The most urgent story in modern tech begins not in Silicon Valley but two hundred years ago in rural England, when workers known as the Luddites rose up rather than starve at the hands of factory owners who were using automated machines to erase their livelihoods. The Luddites organized guerrilla raids to smash those machines—on punishment of death—and won the support of Lord Byron, enraged the Prince Regent, and inspired the birth of science fiction. This all-but-forgotten class struggle brought ninetee

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Book SynopsisThis lavish photographic history of the most beautiful and historic railway stations in London tells a story of power, progress and innovation, from the beginning of steam age to the teeming commuter hubs of today. London has more mainline railway stations than any other city in the world and many of them are amongst its grandest architectural monuments. Its earliest terminals opened in the late 1830s when lines between the capital and the regions were built in the first railway boom. The original station at London Bridge, the capital’s first passenger terminus, was opened in December 1836, six months before Queen Victoria came to the throne. The last main line to London, the Great Central Railway to Marylebone, was opened in March 1899, two years before Victoria died. Ever since they originally opened, these stations have been at heart of London life and activity and have dominated the architectural landscape. Many are now in tTable of ContentsForeword Introduction: Capital Tracks Map Paddington Marylebone Euston St Pancras King’s Cross Liverpool Street Fenchurch Street London Bridge Cannon Street Blackfriars Charing Cross Waterloo Victoria Index Further reading Picture credits Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisTHE FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOKS OF THE YEARThis absorbing collective biography of the genius Nobel family reveals how the Nobels' business and personal lives were fundamentally intertwined with the histories of Sweden and Russia, as well as the economic and entrepreneurial development of Europe in the long 19th century.The name Nobel is mainly associated with the Nobel prize. However, Alfred Nobel was only one of a family of conspicuously gifted individuals. The Nobels, who moved from Sweden to Russia in the 1830s, ran one of Russia's biggest machine factories and founded the Russian oil industry. Using thousands of Nobel family letters and other documents shared here for the first time, Bengt Jangfeldt provides a fascinating and authoritative multi-generational chronicle charting the family exploits. The author describes how the father, Immanuel Nobel, a polymath architect, inventor, and engineer set the family on a path to financial success amidst a backdrop of imperial RussianTrade ReviewThis eloquent book … reads like an official history … [A] punchy historical story [is] at the heart of this very readable tale — the translation is superb —it is the incidental details, so eloquently expounded by Swedish scholar and Russia expert Bengt Jangfeldt, that are riveting. -- Lesley Chamberlain * Financial Times *This gripping and deeply researched volume wonderfully tells the tale of the Nobel family, bringing new evidence and perspectives to show how their business and personal lives were intertwined with the histories of Sweden and Russia. * Steven Nafziger, Professor of Economics, Williams College, USA *Table of ContentsForeword Part 1 1. Immanuel 2. Immanuel Nobel & Sons 3. Immanuel and Andriette Part 2 4. Ludvig 5. Robert 6. Robert & Ludvig 7. The Nobel Brothers 8. The End of an Epoch Part 3 9. The Third Generation 10. Emanuel 11. The Age of Greatness 12. Welfare and Charity 13. Political Unrest, Economic Growth and War 14. Anno 1917 Part 4 Postscript Afterword Family Tree Picture Credits Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisFacts and figures have been thoroughly updated and the work includes a comprehensive Guide to Resources, incorporating the major published literature along with a vetted list of websites and Internet resources for students and lay readers.Trade ReviewThe book provides an excellent overview of world science and technology for readers at any level...highly recommended. ChoiceTable of ContentsPrefaceIntroductionPart I.1. Humankind Emerges2. The Reign of the Farmer3. Pharaohs and Engineers4. Greeks Bearing Gifts5. Alexandria and AfterPart II.6. The Enduring East7. The Middle Kingdom8. Indus, Ganges, and Beyond9. The New WorldPart III.10. Plows, Stirrups, Guns, and Plagues11. Copernicus Incites a Revolution12. The Crime and Punishment of Galileo Galilei13. "God said, 'Let Newton be!'"Part IV.14. Textiles, Timber, Coal, and Steam15. Legacies of Revolution: From Newton toEinstein16. Life Itself17. Toolmakers Take Command18. The New Aristotelians19. The Bomb, the Internet, and the Genome20. Under Today's PharaohsAfterwordGuide to ResourcesIllustration CreditsIndex

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Book SynopsisThis book introduces the basic knowledge, concepts, terms and development process of high-speed rail (HSR) and summarizes its main achievements at this stage. It mainly expounds the connotation of high-speed rail to readers from two different aspects of theory and technology. The book explains the development process of high-speed rail in terms of time: yesterday's wheel rail high-speed rail, today's maglev high-speed rail and tomorrow's super high-speed rail; and also spatially, making a comparative analysis of the development around the world.This book can be used as a reading material for scientific researchers, engineering technicians, management workers, teachers and students of colleges and universities as well as high-speed railfans.Table of ContentsChapter 1. INTRODUCTION.- Chapter 2. CONCEPTUAL TERMINOLOGY OF HSR.- Chapter 3. ATTRIBUTE CHARACTERISTICS OF HSR.- Chapter 4. Wheel High-speed Rail(WHSR).- Chapter 5. Magnetic High-speed Rail (MHSR).- Chapter 6. SUPER-SPEED RAIL (SSR).- Chapter 7. GLOBAL VILLAGE IN HIGH-SPEED RAIL ENVIRONMENT.- Chapter 8. Reference.

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Book SynopsisThe only contemporary history of the birth of Silicon Valley, from the reporter who had a ringside seat to it all. Over the past five decades, the tech industry has grown into one of the most important sectors of the global economy. Silicon Valley―replete with sprawling office parks, sky-high rents, and countless self-made millionaires―is home to many of its key players. But the origins of Silicon Valley and the tech sector are much humbler. At a time when tech companies’ influence continues to grow, The Big Score chronicles how they began. One of the first reporters on the tech industry beat at the San Jose Mercury-News, Michael S. Malone recounts the feverish efforts of young technologists and entrepreneurs to build something that would change the world―and score them a big payday. Starting with the birth of Hewlett-Packard in the 1930s, Malone illustrates how decades of technological innovation laid the foundation for the meteoric rise of the Valley in the 1970s. Drawing on exclusive, unvarnished interviews, Malone punctuates this history with incisive profiles of tech’s early luminaries―including Nobelist William Shockley and Apple’s Steve Jobs―when they were struggling entrepreneurs working 18-hour days in their garages. And he plunges us into the darker side of the Valley, where espionage, drugs, hellish working conditions, and shocking betrayals shaped the paths for winners and losers in a booming industry. A decades-long story with individual sacrifice, ingenuity, and big money at its core, The Big Score recounts the history of today’s most dynamic sector through its upstart beginnings.Trade Review"As Silicon Valley began its long march to global dominance, one writer was there to record it all--from the tiniest etchings on silicon wafers to the galaxy sized egos that built Apple, Intel, Google and others--and that writer, Mike Malone, turned it into a saga for the ages. He’s been called Silicon Valley’s Boswell, but I think Cecille B. DeMille captures Malone’s epic storytelling power." ―Rich Karlgaard, former Forbes publisher "The Big Score is the definitive chronicle of Silicon Valley’s origins, vividly brought to life by native son Mike Malone. The relentless cycles of invention and reinvention that have defined Silicon Valley for over a century suggest that little is permanent, yet the lessons of its genesis are timeless. In laying bare this dramatic history, Mike helps us understand why Silicon Valley ultimately transcended its geography and inspired the best and brightest to defy the limits of human ingenuity, wherever they are." ―Kim Polese, chairman, CrowdSmart "Mike Malone is the gold standard for telling Silicon Valley’s history. He has witnessed the evolution of the Valley from fruit groves to office parks and has cataloged the world’s dependency on the Valley’s innovative technology. Experience the growth of Silicon Valley through the eyes of a pioneer, friend, reporter, and mentor to so many of us early Valley entrepreneurs." ―Sandy Kurtzig, founder, CEO, and chairman of the ASK Group"Mike Malone’s epic depiction of Silicon Valley was a calling card for me and countless other young entrepreneurs with a background in tech. Malone’s stories captured the essence of Valley culture and the many outsized personalities who helped create this mecca of tech. Years later, this book is still relevant and offers insights into the Valley and its ongoing place in the world." ―Jeff Skoll, first president of eBay “Since 1985, when The Big Score was originally published, the dominant and seemingly enduring companies it documented have mostly fallen by the wayside, and the overall technological landscape is wildly different. And so, while The Big Score continues to exist as an encyclopedic and highly entertaining record of Silicon Valley’s origins, it also provides a glimpse of what’s to come. Nothing ever changes in Silicon Valley, it implicitly testifies, and nothing ever stays the same.” ―Reid Hoffman, partner at Greylock and co-author of Blitzscaling "From its discussion of the Valley's deep roots in the semiconductor industry, to the rise of start-ups, venture capital, and the emergence of new models of management, The Big Score documents the beginnings of a technological transformation. When the book was first published, the microprocessor was kickstaring the computer industry. Today, our greatest innovators continue to build on the work of these early pioneers." ―John Hennessy, president emeritus of Stanford University and chairman, Alphabet Inc. "This is a captivating contemporary history of the pre-internet computer industry. Now, 36 years later, it is a fascinating time capsule chronicling the roots of an explosion that is about to occur. Malone's refreshingly honest new foreword, describing retrospectively what he did and didn't get right, is by itself worth the price of admission." ―Len Shustek, founding chairman, Computer History Museum "The Big Score covers the people and companies that shaped many aspects of early Silicon Valley--people from humble beginnings who took huge risks to accomplish great things while dealing with their own fallibility. This book captures the can-do maker-spirit of the early tech industry and gives us a unique view into a key moment in time." ―Elad Gil, author of High Growth Handbook "The story of Silicon Valley and the digital transformation underway in every facet of our lives can be told from a thousand different vantage points. Read this book to learn that the essential element in the story may not, in fact, be silicon, but rather the people who made it." ―Dan'l Lewin, president and CEO, Computer History Museum "What’s remarkable about The Big Score? It’s truly the first, and by far the best, panoramic history of the Valley’s founding. But more than that, it shows the emergence of Mike Malone as the conscience of Silicon Valley, something the Valley needs now more than ever." ―Ed Clendaniel, editorial page editor, San Jose Mercury-News

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Book SynopsisThis is the first book in a three-part series that traces the development of the GPU. Initially developed for games the GPU can now be found in cars, supercomputers, watches, game consoles and more. GPU concepts go back to the 1970s when computer graphics was developed for computer-aided design of automobiles and airplanes. Early computer graphics systems were adopted by the film industry and simulators for airplanes and high energy physics—exploding nuclear bombs in computers instead of the atmosphere. A GPU has an integrated transform and lighting engine, but these were not available until the end of the 1990s. Heroic and historic companies expanded the development and capabilities of the graphics controller in pursuit of the ultimate device, a fully integrated self-contained GPU. Fifteen companies worked on building the first fully integrated GPU, some succeeded in the console, and Northbridge segments, and Nvidia was the first to offer a fully integrated GPU for the PC. Today the GPU can be found in every platform that involves a computer and a user interface.Table of Contents1 Introduction.- 2 1980-1989, Graphics Controllers on Other Platforms.- 3 1980-1989, Graphics Controllers on PCs.- 4 1990-1995, Graphics Controllers on PCs.- 5 1990 to 1999 Graphics Controllers on Other Platform.- 6 1996-1999, Graphics Controllers on PCs.- 7 What is a GPU?.- Appendix A: Definitions.- Appendix B: Acronyms.

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Book SynopsisThis third book in the three-part series on the History of the GPU covers the second to sixth eras of the GPU, which can be found in anything that has a display or screen. The GPU is now part of supercomputers, PCs, Smartphones and tablets, wearables, game consoles and handhelds, TVs, and every type of vehicle including boats and planes. In the early 2000s the number of GPU suppliers consolidated to three whereas now, the number has expanded to almost 20. In 2022 the GPU market was worth over $250 billion with over 2.2 billion GPUs being sold just in PCs, and more than 10 billion in smartphones. Understanding the power and history of these devices is not only a fascinating tale, but one that will aid your understanding of some of the developments in consumer electronics, computers, new automobiles, and your fitness watch.Table of ContentsForeword.- Acknowledgements.- Introduction.- The Third to Fifth Era GPUs.- Mobile GPUs.- Game Consule GPUs.- Compute and Other GPUs.- Open GPU Projects.(2000 -2018).- The Sixth Era of GPUs.- Concluding Remarks.- Appendix A: Acronyms.- Appendix B: Definitions.

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Book SynopsisThe fascinating story of how NASA sent humans to explore outer space, told through a treasure trove of historical documents--publishing in celebration of NASA's 60th anniversary and with a foreword by Bill NyeAn extremely useful and thought provoking documentary journey through the maze of space history. There is no wiser or more experienced navigator through the twists and turns and ups and downs than John Logsdon. -James Hansen, New York Times bestselling author of First Man, now a feature film starring Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy Among all the technological accomplishments of the last century, none has captured our imagination more deeply than the movement of humans into outer space. From Sputnik to SpaceX, the story of that journey--including the inside history of our voyages to the moon depicted in First Man--is told as never before in The Penguin Book of Outer Space Exploration. RTrade Review"Somebody needed to do it. And Professor John Logsdon is uniquely qualified for the task — to reveal the cultural, political, and scientific correspondence that birthed and sustains our era of space exploration. The fits and starts of good ideas, the precarious flows of funding streams, the fickle sentiments of the public will — it’s all there, right on down to transcripts of illuminating conversations held in the Oval Office between the President and key players in this epic adventure." -Neil deGrasse Tyson, New York Times bestselling author of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry"I wish I'd had this terrific collection of critically important and richly insightful primary sources during my 31 years teaching university students about the history of space exploration. This new book provides an extremely useful and thought provoking documentary journey through the maze of space history. There is no wiser or more experienced navigator through the twists and turns and ups and downs than John Logsdon." -James Hansen, New York Times bestselling author of First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong"Brimming with fascinating behind-the-scenes details from the birth of the Space Age through the race to the Moon and beyond, this remarkable collection from one of America's preeminent space historians is a treasure.” -Andrew Chaikin, author of A Man on the Moon "As a NASA astronaut, I already knew a lot about the history of human space flight, but this book contained a wealth of new and exciting revelations. I felt like a fly on the wall listening as critical decisions were being made about how to go to the Moon and whether or not to build the Space Shuttle. And what a thrill to read John Glenn’s own summary of his historic Mercury flight! There’s something here for everyone interested in any aspect of human space flight." -Jeff Hoffman, NASA astronaut and MIT professor"The story of space exploration is marked by a series of turning points, a series of policy decisions. These decisions are documented well enough, but the key documents would be very hard to find, if you didn't where to look. Dr. Logsdon does. He's the dean of space history. He is the world's foremost authority on which of the hundreds of thousands of documents hold the keys to knowing what and why significant things happened on Earth that influenced our presence in space." -Bill Nye, from the foreword“[John Logsdon] clearly knows and is inspired by his material, and his enthusiasm comes through here…. An absorbing read for space exploration enthusiasts, from high schoolers to adults.”—Library Journal “A fascinating look at an extraordinary time….This wonderful little book should be in everyman’s library.”—The Albany Times-Union

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Book SynopsisOn a moonless night in January 1991, a dozen U.S. aircraft appeared in the skies over Baghdad. To the Iraqi air defenses, the planes seemed to come from nowhere. Their angular shape, making them look like flying origami, rendered them virtually undetectable. Each aircraft was more than 60 feet in length and with a wingspan of 40 feet, yet its radar footprint was the size of a ball bearing. Here was the first extensive combat application of Stealth technology. And it was devastating. Peter Westwick''s new book illuminates the story behind these aircraft, the F-117A, also known as the Stealth Fighter, and their close cousin the B-2, also known as the Stealth Bomber. The development of Stealth unfolded over decades. Radar has been in use since the 1930s and was essential to the Allies in World War Two, when American investment in radar exceeded that in the Manhattan Project. The atom bomb ended the war, conventional wisdom has it, but radar won it. That experience also raised a question: could a plane be developed that was invisible to radar? That question, and the seemingly impossible feat of physics and engineering behind it, took on increasing urgency during the Cold War, when the United States searched for a way both to defend its airspace and send a plane through Soviet skies undetected. Thus started the race for Stealth. At heart, Stealth is a tale of not just two aircraft but the two aerospace companies that made them, Lockheed and Northrop, guided by contrasting philosophies and outsized personalities. Beginning in the 1970s, the two firms entered into a fierce competition, one with high financial stakes and conducted at the highest levels of secrecy in the Cold War. They approached the problem of Stealth from different perspectives, one that pitted aeronautical designers against electrical engineers, those who relied on intuition against those who pursued computer algorithms. The two different approaches manifested in two very different solutions to Stealth, clearly evident in the aircraft themselves: the F-117 composed of flat facets, the B-2 of curves. For all their differences, Lockheed and Northrop were located twenty miles apart in the aerospace suburbs of Los Angeles, not far from Disneyland. This was no coincidence. The creative culture of postwar Southern California-unorthodox, ambitious, and future-oriented-played a key role in Stealth. Combining nail-biting narrative, incisive explanation of the science and technology involved, and indelible portraits of unforgettable characters, Stealth immerses readers in the story of an innovation with revolutionary implications for modern warfare.Trade ReviewThe U.S. innovation system fostered different approaches to a specific problem, and stealth mobilized a huge amount of talent and human energy- like many high-tech Cold War ventures. Historians of business, technology, and the military as well as sociologists will find Stealth richly rewarding. * Dimitrios Ziakkas, Dimitrios Ziakkas is an assistant professor in the School of Aviation and Transportation Technology at Purdue University., Technology and Culture *[A] valuable contribution to Cold War history. * Tom Ricks *In his elegant Stealth, Peter Westwick balanc[es] a modest level of technical detail with a keen eye for the people involved, drawing on extensive interviews and oral histories. The vividness Mr. Westwick achieves is all the more impressive given the secrecy of the stealth world. * Konstantin Kakaes, The Wall Street Journal *A rich, compelling, and eye-opening book. * Daniel J. Kevles, author of The Physicists *Westwick does a good job of explaining the engineering principles at work, the competitive instinct of the engineers—which motivated them more than did a patriotic desire to gain the upper hand over the Soviet Union—and the advantages of a close partnership between the private sector and the state. * Lawrence Freedman, Foreign Affairs *This concise, highly readable history of the creation, development, and application of one of the most important technologies of the Cold War brings clarity and a thorough understanding to this complex subject. * F. Robert van der Linden, Science *Table of ContentsChapter 1. Roots of the Revolution Chapter 2. Dark Days in the Sunshine State Chapter 3. Breeding Invisible Rabbits Chapter 4. Lockheed: Tin Shed in a Hurricane Chapter 5. Northrop: Seeing the Waves Chapter 6. Shootout at RATSCAT Chapter 7. Have Blue and the F-117 Chapter 8. Secrets and Strategies Chapter 9. The Whale Chapter 10. Winning the B-2 Chapter 11. Building the B-2 Chapter 12. Stealth and the Modern Military

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Book SynopsisActivists, pundits, politicians, and the press frequently proclaim today''s digitally mediated racial justice activism the new civil rights movement. As Charlton D. McIlwain shows in this book, the story of racial justice movement organizing online is much longer and varied than most people know. In fact, it spans nearly five decades and involves a varied group of engineers, entrepreneurs, hobbyists, journalists, and activists. But this is a history that is virtually unknown even in our current age of Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Black Lives Matter. Beginning with the simultaneous rise of civil rights and computer revolutions in the 1960s, McIlwain, for the first time, chronicles the long relationship between African Americans, computing technology, and the Internet. In turn, he argues that the forgotten figures who worked to make black politics central to the Internet''s birth and evolution paved the way for today''s explosion of racial justice activism. From the 1960s to present, the book examines how computing technology has been used to neutralize the threat that black people pose to the existing racial order, but also how black people seized these new computing tools to build community and wealth, and to wage a war for racial justice.Through archival sources and the voices of many of those who lived and made this history, Black Software centralizes African Americans'' role in the Internet''s creation and evolution, illuminating both the limits and possibilities for using digital technology to push for racial justice in the United States and across the globe.Trade ReviewCharlton McIlwain's Black Software is a groundbreaking history of the intersection between technology and race in the United States. * Pavithra Suresh and Alexander Monea, Technology and Culture *McIlwain's book [is an] utterly compelling demonstratio[n] of the contributions black people have made, and struggle to make still, to modern culture. * Lilian Anekwe, New Scientist *A poetic tour de force. By amplifying black voices and their stories, McIlwain peels back a layer of overwritten history to reveal how technology and race have always been entwined. This book's rhythmic drumbeat and call to action will energize your soul. * danah boyd, Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research and Founder of Data and Society *McIlwain has written the first digital history book that explains in crystal clear terms eactly how Big Tech came to be an engine for inequality. Black Software is an utterly fascinating, painstakingly researched origin story of black cyberculture...It will change the way you think about computers, fairness, racial identity, and America as a technological nation. * Lisa Nakamura, Gwendolyn Calvert Baker Collegiate Professor and Director the Digital Studies Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor *Black Software imaginatively reprograms late twentieth-century digital history with a revelatory account of the black men and women who are its hidden figures. Unsung innovator are recovered as the forerunners of #BlackLivesMatter, #BlackTwitter, and #MeToo in this detailed, creative and crucial rendering of the tech communities that-against both the odds and countervailing forces-inspired today's hashtag politics. * Alondra Nelson, Harold F. Linder Professor of Social Science, Institute for Advanced Study *Black Software is one of the most moving and important books about the history of digital culture and politics in the United States. Charlton McIlwain tells stirring stories of those who moved the world a bit closer to racial justice and relates broad account of the social and political forces that worked against the interests of African Americans. * Siva Vaidhyanatha, author of Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy *Table of ContentsPrologue Chapter One: The Great Equalizer Chapter Two: Different Strokes Chapter Three: The Roxbury Shake Chapter Four: The Vanguard Chapter Five: Black Software Comes to Cambridge Chapter Six: The Electronic Village Needs an Organizer Chapter Seven: Want Ad for a Revolution Chapter Eight: The Battle for (Black) Cyberspace Chapter Nine: 100 Years Black: A Cautionary Tale Chapter 10: Taking IT to the Streets Chapter Eleven: Collision Course Chapter Twelve: The Revolution, Brought to You by IBM Chapter Thirteen: The Committeemen Chapter Fourteen: What Happened at the Homestead Chapter Fifteen: Kansas City Burning Chapter Sixteen: The Man's Best Friend Chapter Seventeen: Digital Technology: Our Past Is Prologue Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Weiser’s pioneering ideas, which he refined in the nineteen-eighties and nineties, led to the present-day Internet of Things, but his vision lost out to the surveillance-capitalist imperatives of Big Tech. Tinnell’s profound biography evokes an alternative paradigm, in which technology companies did not seek to monitor and exploit users." * New Yorker *"The story of Weiser’s undertaking is told by John Tinnell, a professor of English at the University of Colorado at Denver, in his new biography The Philosopher of Palo Alto, and it’s refreshingly strange. . . . Tinnell presents Weiser both as a progenitor of this state of affairs—his PARC was where 'the seeds for the Internet of Things had been sown”—and as the prophet of an alternative paradigm that might “hold some conceptual tenets for building a better Internet of Things today,' one that rejects 'total surveillance and zero privacy, runaway automation, and diminished agency.'” * New York Review of Books *"In the life of Mark Weiser, John Tinnell has found a morality tale for our times. For anyone looking to understand how technology is shaping society today, The Philosopher of Palo Alto is a compelling and necessary read." -- Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows and The Glass Cage"This riveting, up-close account reveals how one man’s dream of benevolent computing helped set us on the road to the hyper-connected, surveillance-driven nightmare we inhabit today. A deeply unsettling and cautionary tale." -- Fred Turner, author of From Counterculture to Cyberculture: Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the Rise of Digital Utopianism"Along with Doug Engelbart’s intelligence augmentation and Alan Kay’s Dynabook, Mark Weiser’s ubiquitous computing is one of the three big concepts that Silicon Valley has fed off of for decades. Tinnell has done a wonderful job of capturing the arc of Weiser’s ideas." -- John Markoff author of Whole Earth: The Many Lives of Stewart Brand“The Philosopher of Palo Alto is a really interesting read in the context of the latest developments in AI. I do have a boundless appetite for books about the history of the industry and was intrigued by this as I’d never heard of Mark Weiser. The reason for that gap, even though he ran the computer science lab at Xerox PARC, is probably that his philosophy of computing lost out. In a nutshell, he was strongly opposed to tech whose smartness involved making people superfluous.” -- Diane Coyle * Enlightened Economist *Table of ContentsPrologue Introduction: Googleville Chapter 1: Messy Systems Chapter 2: The Innovator as a Young Seeker Chapter 3: Asymmetrical Encounters Chapter 4: Tabs, Pads, and Boards Chapter 5: One Hundred Computers per Room Chapter 6: Retreat Chapter 7: Tacit Inc. Chapter 8: The Dangling String Chapter 9: Smarter Ways to Make Things Smart Chapter 10: A Form of Worship Epilogue Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA stunning visual celebration of cars over a century of progress!Introducing The Story of the Car - a historical and visual exploration of awe-inspiring automobiles over a period of one hundred years, from the first horseless carriage to driverless vehicles, this all-encompassing car book takes you on a journey to explore the ways in which this once rare and luxurious status symbol has become a fundamental part of everyday life. So get in gear and drive straight in to discover: -Fact-filled narrative spreads, profiles, and features offer readers an unrivalled range and breadth of information-Packed with colour photographs and artworks, fascinating facts, and biographies that bring every aspect of motoring to life-Covers cutting-edge advances in car technology providing the very latest information -Features specially commissioned photography, alongside evocative and rarely seen archive imagesTaking you on a technical jo

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Book SynopsisA captivating history of NASA’s Space Transportation System—the space shuttle—chronicling the inevitable failures of a doomed design.In Dark Star, Matthew Hersch challenges the existing narrative of the most significant human space program of the last fifty years, NASA’s space shuttle. He begins with the origins of the space shuttle: a century-long effort to develop a low-cost, reusable, rocket-powered airplane to militarize and commercialize space travel, which Hersch explains was built the wrong way, at the wrong time, and for all the wrong reasons. Describing the unique circumstances that led to the space shuttle’s creation by the administration of President Richard Nixon in 1972 and its subsequent flights from 1981 through 2011, Hersch illustrates how the space shuttle was doomed from the start.While most historians have accepted the view that the space shuttle’s fatal accidents—including the 1986 Challenger

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Book SynopsisMeticulously researched historylook[s] at how wine and Western civilization grew up together. Dave McIntyre, Washington PostTrade Review"Fascinating." -- Eric Asimov - New York Times"Lukacs, well aware that his subject is often clouded with pretense, writes with an eye for pungent detail." -- The New Yorker"Thoughtful and provocative, this book shows that the history of wine is as complex as the history of human society." -- Esther Mobley - Wine Enthusiast"Rather than an eternal cultural verity, wine is the product of innovative discontinuities, according to this flavorful history.... [Lukacs’s] absorbing treatise shows just how much the grape’s bounty owes to human ingenuity and imagination." -- Publishers Weekly"Just when it seemed that there was nothing new to be said about wine, Paul Lukacs tells an intriguing and original tale that is thoroughly enjoyable reading." -- Mark Kurlansky, author of Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man and Salt: A World History"Noted American oenophile Lukacs tells the story of wine over eight millenniums and around the globe. Themes of interest to oenophiles, from wine’s longtime disrepute in North America to England’s love affair with Bordeaux, and fascinating details—for instance, the unearthing of 26 casks of wine in King Tut’s tomb—heighten the pleasure of this engrossing narrative. A richly readable and authoritative addition to the literature of wine." -- Kirkus Reviews"In highly readable prose, Lukacs tells the story of winemaking’s worldwide history, recounting such ever-fascinating stories as the discovery of champagne and the creation of phenomenally unctuous and costly wines from what appear to be overripe, rotten grapes." -- Booklist

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Book SynopsisIt’s time to stop thinking in straight lines…Trade Review'This is a wonderfully fascinating book with answers to so many everyday questions you never knew you needed to know. The explanations are lucid and so clear that the one thing it doesn’t do is cause your head to spin.' -- Mark Miodownik, author of Stuff Matters‘More than a few authors have found success with books that look at a broad swath of history, ideas or science through the lens of a single topic… Roland Ennos elevates this approach to dizzying heights in The Science of Spin… The physics are fascinating.’ -- Wall Street Journal'An original and highly engaging insight into how our universe works, encompassing black holes, the cotton mills of the industrial revolution, the biomechanics of walking and more!' -- Paul Sen, author of Einstein's Fridge‘The Science of Spin is a delightful book, equally entertaining and enlightening. Read it and you will come away with a better understanding of our world and how it works.’ -- Ricochet

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Book SynopsisThe life and career of the legendary developer celebrated as the "godfather of computer gaming" and creator of Civilization.Trade Review"... enjoyable… the book serves as a pocket history of game development itself..." -- Alex Hern - The Guardian"An entertaining autobiography... Where some games are more like films, gorgeous to look at but where many of the artistic decisions have been taken for you, Meier’s games are more like novels, inviting the reader to fill in the gaps. His maxims." -- Ed Cumming - The Independent"Depending on your perspective, Meier is either one of the pre-eminent figures in a thrilling artistic form, or one of the greatest time-wasters in human history... His story is that of the industry itself." -- Ed Cumming - I

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Book SynopsisNow updated A comprehensive, 500-year history of technology in society. Historian Thomas J. Misa's sweeping history of the relationship between technology and society over the past 500 years reveals how technological innovations have shapedand have been shaped bythe cultures in which they arose. Spanning the preindustrial past, the age of scientific, political, and industrial revolutions, as well as the more recent eras of imperialism, modernism, and global security, this compelling work evaluates what Misa calls the question of technology.In this edition, Misa brings his acclaimed text up to date by drawing on current scholarship while retaining sharply drawn portraits of individual people, artifacts, and systems. Each chapter has been honed to relate to contemporary concerns. Globalization, Misa argues, looks differently considering today's virulent nationalism, cultural chauvinism, and trade wars. A new chapter focuses on the digital age from 1990 to 2016. The book also examines Trade ReviewThis book is indispensable and exciting reading for both scholars and a wider audience.—Emanuela Scarpellini, Technology & CultureTable of ContentsList of Figures and TablesPrefaceAcknowledgmentsChapter 1. Technologies of the Court, 1450–1600Chapter 2. Techniques of Commerce, 1588–1740Chapter 3. Geographies of Industry, 1740–1851Chapter 4. Instruments of Empire, 1840–1914Chapter 5. Science and Systems, 1870–1930Chapter 6. Materials of Modernism, 1900–1950Chapter 7. The Means of Destruction, 1936–1990Chapter 8. Promises of Global Culture, 1970–2001Chapter 9. Paths to Insecurity, 2001–2010Chapter 10. Dominance of the Digital, 1990–2016Chapter 11. The Question of TechnologyNotesEssay on SourcesIndex

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Book SynopsisThis fascinating selection of photographs gives an insight into the history of the iron and steel industry around Middlesbrough.

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Book SynopsisThere is little disagreement that Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a towering genius of the Victorian age, but what about the man behind the reputation?Trade Review‘Compulsive reading … highly recommended’ -- National Rail Museum Review‘Well researched … a worthy addition’ -- Railway Observer‘A thoroughly entertaining read’ -- Railway Illustrated

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Book SynopsisExplores a lavishly illustrated look at an important part of our industrial history with Lime Kilns.

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Book SynopsisThe first book to provide an overview of all of Brunelâs vessels, richly illustrated, and endorsed by the SS Great Britain Trust.

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Book SynopsisFrom the world-renowned to the minor and the modest take a look at this lavishly illustrated look at some of Britain's best loved and iconic bridges.

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Book SynopsisThe New Kingmakers documents the rise of the developer class, and provides strategies for companies to adapt to the new technology landscape. From recruiting to retention, it provides a playbook to work more efficiently and effectively with the most important members of your organization.

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Book SynopsisA charming and insightful exploration of the amazing architecture and engineering wonders that surround Britain''s inland waterways. In Britain''s Canals, two inland waterways experts and much-loved authors come together to produce the definitive word on the man-made wonders that make Britain''s canals so special, so loved and enjoyed by so many. They explore features from the awe-inspiring 30-lock flight on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, to the downright delightful chocolate-box lock-keeper''s cottages that line the cut of every canal, to masterpieces such as the 18-arch Pontcysyllte aqueduct, the highest aqueduct in the world, to beautiful bridges, grand company buildings, the social hubs that were, and still are, canal-side pubs, plus so much more. In contrast to many inland waterways books which are organised geographically by canal, Britain''s Canals is structured thematically, with chapters on The Line (the shape of the canal itself), Trade ReviewBeautifully photographed. * Yachting Monthly *

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Book SynopsisNoelle Molé Liston''s The Truth Society seeks to understand how a period of Italian political spectacle, which regularly blurred fact and fiction, has shaped how people understand truth, mass-mediated information, scientific knowledge, and forms of governance. Liston scrutinizes Italy''s late twentieth-century political culture, particularly the impact of the former prime minister and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi. By doing so, she examines how this truth-bending political era made science, logic, and rationality into ideas that needed saving.With the prevalence of fake news and our seeming lack of shared reality in the post-truth world, many people struggle to figure out where this new normal came from. Liston argues that seemingly disparate events and practices that have unfolded in Italy are historical reactions to mediatized political forms and particular, cultivated ways of knowing. Politics, then, is always sutured to how knowledge is structured, circulated, and Trade ReviewThis notion of truth lies at the heart of Noelle Molé Liston's inquiry into recent developments in Italian politics and society. * Survival: Global politics and strategy *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Manifest Disguise and Mediatized Politics 2. The Soldiers of Rationality 3. The Rise of Algorithm Populism 4. The Trial against Disinformation 5. Scientific Anesthetization in the Anthropocene Conclusion: Mirrored Window World

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Book Synopsis'Speckled with anecdotes, insights and surprises. It is great fun - and utterly timely' Sunday Times 'Standage writes with a masterly clarity' New York Times 'The product of deep research, great intelligence and burnished prose . . . It is rare that I encounter a non-fiction author whose prose is so elegant that it is worth reading for itself. Standage is a writer of this class' Wall Street Journal Beginning around 3,500 BC with the wheel, and moving through the eras of horsepower, trains and bicycles, Tom Standage puts the rise of the car – and the future of urban transport – into a broader historical context. Our society has been shaped by the car in innumerable ways, many of which are so familiar that we no longer notice them. Why does red mean stop and green mean go? Why do some countries drive on the left, and some on the right? How did cars, introduced only a little over a century ago, change the way the world was administered, laid out and policed, along with experiences like eating and shopping? And what might travel in a post-car world look like? As social transformations from ride-sharing to the global pandemic force us to critically re-examine our relationship with personal transportation, A Brief History of Motion is an essential contribution to our understanding of how the modern world came to be.Trade ReviewSpeckled with anecdotes, insights and surprises . . . It is great fun – and utterly timely * Sunday Times *Eminently readable . . . Standage writes with a masterly clarity * New York Times Book Review *The product of deep research, great intelligence and burnished prose . . . An unusually astute futurist, Mr. Standage offers observations about where we are now and where we might be heading that should be taken seriously . . . It is rare that I encounter a nonfiction author whose prose is so elegant that it is worth reading for itself. Mr. Standage is a writer of this class * Wall Street Journal *There was a gap in the market for an accessible book that tied together the technology and politics of cars, and Standage has filled it beautifully. Pithy anecdotes make the book readable; the central question – that of what comes next – makes it worth reading * Financial Times *Richly rewarding . . . [Standage] starts at the beginning, with the advent of the wheel (probably in Eastern Europe in around 3500 BC), and then traces its astonishing impact on human history . . . Contains a great deal to fascinate -- Book of the Week * The Week *Informative and utterly entertaining, it should serve as a helpful manual for negotiating our future * The Herald *Tom Standage has a gift for explaining how our modern world came to be and might evolve. In A Brief History of Motion, his skills as a historian and his trademark insight and wit shine in a way that will make your mind whir every time you hop on a bike or get behind the wheel of a car. This book is full of surprises and an absolute delight -- Ashlee Vance, New York Times bestselling author of Elon MuskPerceptive, pragmatic, but never pedestrian, this is an irrepressible survey of how we’ve travelled through the ages, and it zips along like the most pleasurable of journeys -- Simon Garfield, New York Times-bestselling author of Just My Type and On the MapOn the past, present, and future of transportation, Tom Standage has crafted the book to read, full of anecdote and keen observation, and seamlessly written -- Tyler Cowen, Professor of Economics, George Mason University, and New York Times-bestselling author of The Great Stagnation and Average Is OverTom Standage takes us on a quick spin, from no wheels for anybody to nobody at the wheel—much of it over back roads that were entirely new to me -- George Dyson, author of Turing’s Cathedral and AnalogiaThere aren’t many books this entertaining that also provide a cogent crash course in ancient, classical and modern history * Los Angeles Times on 'A History of the World in Six Glasses' *An extraordinary and well-told story on a much neglected dimension of history * Financial Times on 'An Edible History of Humanity' *

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Book Synopsis'Powerful, profound and completely engrossing, a meditation on not only technology but also history, culture, ideas, ethics, psychology and, above all, what it means to be human.' – Michael Bhaskar, co-author of The Coming WaveWise Animals explores the history of our relationship with technology, and our deep involvement with our creations from the first use of tools and the taming of fire, via the invention of reading and printing, to the development of the computer, the creation of the internet and the emergence of AI.Human children know no more of modern technology than their ancestors did of older technologies thousands of years ago, and develop in relation to the technologies of their time. We co-evolve with technology as individuals as we have as a species over thousands of years.Rather than see technology as a threat, this deeply humanist contribution to the debate proposes that we are neither masters nor victims o

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