As a taster for the book, Chapter 1 is freely available for downloading in PDF format and can be accessed by clicking on the Download button below.
Chapter 1 (Computer Prehistory – Calculating Machines) covers the earliest efforts to mechanise calculation, from the calculating aids of John Napier through the mechanical calculators of Schickard, Pascal and Leibniz to the incredible calculating engines of Charles Babbage. To put these into context and provide a more rounded picture, it also covers the advances in engineering technology or ‘building blocks’ which facilitated the development of such machines.
The Story of the Computer 