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 strange and tragic 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' 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.

By:   Andrew Hodges
Foreword by:   Douglas R. Hofstadter
Imprint:   Princeton University Pres
Country of Publication:   United States
Edition:   Centenary ed
Dimensions:   Height: 42mm,  Width: 203mm,  Spine: 127mm
Weight:   628g
ISBN:  

9780691155647

ISBN 10:   069115564X
Pages:   616
Publication Date:   June 2012
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  ELT Advanced ,  Primary
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Awaiting stock  
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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.

One of the finest scientific biographies ever written. -- Jim Holt, New Yorker A first-class contribution to history and an exemplary work of biography. -- I. J. Good, Nature An almost perfect match of biographer and subject... [A] great book. -- Ray Monk, Guardian A superb biography... Written by a mathematician, it describes in plain language Turing's work on the foundations of computer science and how he broke the Germans' Enigma code in the Second World War. The subtle depiction of class rivalries, personal relationships, and Turing's tragic end are worthy of a novel. But this was a real person. Hodges describes the man, and the science that fascinated him--which once saved, and still influences, our lives. -- Margaret Boden, New Scientist

One of the finest scientific biographies ever written. -- Jim Holt New Yorker A first-class contribution to history and an exemplary work of biography. -- I. J. Good Nature An almost perfect match of biographer and subject... [A] great book. -- Ray Monk Guardian A superb biography... Written by a mathematician, it describes in plain language Turing's work on the foundations of computer science and how he broke the Germans' Enigma code in the Second World War. The subtle depiction of class rivalries, personal relationships, and Turing's tragic end are worthy of a novel. But this was a real person. Hodges describes the man, and the science that fascinated him--which once saved, and still influences, our lives. -- Margaret Boden New Scientist Andrew Hodges's magisterial Alan Turing: The Enigma ... is still the definitive text. -- Joshua Cohen Harper's