The Information, 9780007225743
Paperback
From talking drums to Wikipedia: information has always revolutionized our lives.

The Information

a history, a theory, a flood

$43.36

  • Paperback

    544 pages

  • Release Date

    23 May 2012

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Summary

Decoding the World: A History of Information

Winner of the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books 2012, the world’s leading prize for popular science writing.

We live in the information age. But every era of history has had its own information revolution: the invention of writing, the composition of dictionaries, the creation of the charts that made navigation possible, the discovery of the electronic signal, the cracking of the genetic code.

In ‘The Informatio…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780007225743
ISBN-10:0007225741
Series:Fourth Estate
Author:James Gleick
Publisher:HarperCollins Publishers
Imprint:Fourth Estate Ltd
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:544
Release Date:23 May 2012
Weight:370g
Dimensions:198mm x 129mm x 35mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

‘An audacious book which offers remarkable insight. Gleick takes us, with verve and fizz, on a journey from African drums to computers, liberally sprinkling delightful factoids along the way. This is a book we need to give us a fresh perspective on how we communicate and how that shapes our world.’ The Royal Society Winton Prize Judges

‘Mind-stretching but enlightening … the power and breadth of the ideas involved cannot but make you marvel.’ Daily Mail

‘Magisterial…It is not merely a history of information, but also a theory and a prospectus. To describe it as ambitious is to engage in almost comical understatement.’ Matthew Syed, The Times

‘A deeply impressive and rather beautiful book.’ Philip Ball, Observer

‘The fascinating story of how humans have transmitted knowledge…broad and occasionally brilliant.’ Sunday Times

‘This is a work of rare penetration, a true history of ideas whose witty and determined treatment of its material brings clarity to a complex subject.’ Tim Martin, Daily Telegraph

About The Author

James Gleick

James Gleick’s three books, Chaos, Genius, and Faster, have been translated into nearly thirty languages. Gleick, a former reporter and editor of the New York Times, lives in New York.

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