James Essinger

Jacquard's Web: How a Hand-Loom Led to the Birth of the Information Age (2004)

Essinger's book perplexes me. It is both gripping and cringe-inducing. At heart Jacquard's Web is a history of the modern computer. But this heart has some serious pedantry and would-be elegance clotting its arteries. If the preceding metaphor feels lackluster, this book might scrape at your nerv...