
Alan Turing
The Enigma The Centenary Edition
Andrew Hodges(Author)
Princeton University Press
Will be published approx. on 27. May 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
632 pages
978-0-691-15564-7 (ISBN)
Description
It is only a slight exaggeration to say that the British mathematician Alan Turing (1912-1954) saved the Allies from the Nazis, invented the computer and artificial intelligence, and anticipated gay liberation by decades--all before his suicide at age forty-one. This classic biography of the founder of computer science, reissued on the centenary of his birth with a substantial new preface by the author, is the definitive account of an extraordinary mind and life. A gripping story of mathematics, computers, cryptography, and homosexual persecution, Andrew Hodges's acclaimed book captures both the inner and outer drama of Turing's life. Hodges tells how Turing's revolutionary idea of 1936--the concept of a universal machine--laid the foundation for the modern computer and how Turing brought the idea to practical realization in 1945 with his electronic design. The book also tells how this work was directly related to Turing's leading role in breaking the German Enigma ciphers during World War II, a scientific triumph that was critical to Allied victory in the Atlantic. At the same time, this is the tragic story of a man who, despite his wartime service, was eventually arrested, stripped of his security clearance, and forced to undergo a humiliating treatment program--all for trying to live honestly in a society that defined homosexuality as a crime.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Princeton
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
26 halftones. 20 line illus.
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 127 mm
Weight
624 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-15564-7 (9780691155647)
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Author
Andrew Hodges teaches mathematics at Wadham College, University of Oxford. A colleague of Roger Penrose, he is also an active contributor to the mathematics of fundamental physics.
Foreword
Content
List of Plates ix
Foreword by Douglas Hofstadter xi
Preface to the 2012 Centenary edition xv
PART ONE: THE LOGICAL
1 Esprit de Corps to 13 February 1930 1
2 The Spirit of Truth to 14 April 1936 46
3 New Men to 3 September 1939 111
4 The Relay Race to 10 November 1942 160
BRIDGE PASSAGE to 1 April 1943 242
PART TWO: THE PHYSICAL
5 Running Up to 2 September 1945 259
6 Mercury Delayed to 2 October 1948 314
7 The Greenwood Tree to 7 February 1952 390
8 On the Beach to 7 June 1954 456
Postscript 529
Author's Note 530
Notes 541
Acknowledgements 569
Index 570
Foreword by Douglas Hofstadter xi
Preface to the 2012 Centenary edition xv
PART ONE: THE LOGICAL
1 Esprit de Corps to 13 February 1930 1
2 The Spirit of Truth to 14 April 1936 46
3 New Men to 3 September 1939 111
4 The Relay Race to 10 November 1942 160
BRIDGE PASSAGE to 1 April 1943 242
PART TWO: THE PHYSICAL
5 Running Up to 2 September 1945 259
6 Mercury Delayed to 2 October 1948 314
7 The Greenwood Tree to 7 February 1952 390
8 On the Beach to 7 June 1954 456
Postscript 529
Author's Note 530
Notes 541
Acknowledgements 569
Index 570