The Computers That Made The World by Tim Danton - Book Review

First it was Britain, and now it's... THE WORLD!!! No, not your typical Whovian villain's logic, but the natural progression from PC Pro's editor-in-chief, Tim Danton, as he brings a second tome on the history of computing to the table.

Hard to believe but it's been four years since I reviewed his first book, and whilst that is an informative rattle through the numerous machines that defined a decade and a half of personal computing in the UK, for his follow up he has dreamt a little bigger, darling. 

Bookended by timelines of computing from 1936 to 1965, The Computers That Made The World takes the reader back long before anything as futuristic as a "personal computer" to the very earliest days of what a "computer" was, and how that definition quickly changed within a very short period of time. 

We begin with, what else, Babbage's Analytical Engine, but this is only a brief introduction before the story proper and the first electronic digital computer, the ABC. Thence follows an at times convoluted tale as competing approaches and machines vied for recognition. So too did the individuals behind each device, and there's plenty of politics and politicking to spice up what is in every case a set of intriguing stories. Myths are dispatched along the way, and there is an ever-present wry humour that leads to some amusing footnotes. 

Having been a long time reader of the likes of Computer Shopper, I was familiar with some of the entrants - Konrad Zuse's work for one was something I recall reading about in an early 90's issue, but there are plenty of machines that I'd basically only heard mention of in passing and nothing else, such as the Harvard Mark 1, the Princeton IAS (although I knew of the associated EDVAC and UNIVAC machines), and the Pilot ACE.

This is, it has to be said, a rather more dense read than the "British" volume, and that's due to the nature of the topic - cryptography rears its head given the chapter on the Colossus, but concepts are well explained for the layperson, and in that instance, I am that person. Software testing, yes, maths, no. And whilst what if-ery is always an amusing side street, the revelation in chapter 11 about Boeing's approach to Ferranti, and the opportunity kicked away by the British company are the very definitions of an own goal and arrogant stupidity. In any case, each machine is given room to breathe within the text and the depth within the narrative is impressive. 

There.are quite a few photographs dotted about, and although the paper stock used does not lend itself to image reproduction, it copes well with the visuals anyway. 

This fine tome will sit next to its sibling as another excellent resource on the subject of computing history, leaving only one lingering question... Has the author enough material to consider a volume on the period in between his first two, covering the likes of IBM, DEC and Data General, as well as the subsequent rise of the minicomputer? Just a thought.

You can pick up a copy of The Computers That Made The World from the usual online and physical stores, as well as the Raspberry Pi Press site here. I heartily recommend that you do.