Synopses & Reviews
"[Ada Lovelace], like Steve Jobs, stands at the intersection of arts and technology." — Walter Isaacson, author of The Innovators
Over 150 years after her death, a widely-used scientific computer program was named "Ada," after Ada Lovelace, the only legitimate daughter of the eighteenth century’s version of a rock star, Lord Byron. Why?
Because, after computer pioneers such as Alan Turing began to rediscover her, it slowly became apparent that she had been a key but overlooked figure in the invention of the computer.
In Ada's Algorithm, James Essinger makes the case that the computer age could have started two centuries ago if Lovelace’s contemporaries had recognized her research and fully grasped its implications.
It’s a remarkable tale, starting with the outrageous behavior of her father, which made Ada instantly famous upon birth. Ada would go on to overcome numerous obstacles to obtain a level of education typically forbidden to women of her day. She would eventually join forces with Charles Babbage, generally credited with inventing the computer, although as Essinger makes clear, Babbage couldn’t have done it without Lovelace. Indeed, Lovelace wrote what is today considered the world’s first computer program — despite opposition that the principles of science were "beyond the strength of a woman’s physical power of application."
Based on ten years of research and filled with fascinating characters and observations of the period, not to mention numerous illustrations, Essinger tells Ada’s fascinating story in unprecedented detail to absorbing and inspiring effect.
Review
"A fine new Lovelace biography… We need her as a symbol…of all the women who have contributed to the progress of science and technology, and of all the women who might have contributed if given the chance." Slate
Review
"Essinger is a terrific storyteller, and he knows a great story when he sees it. Ada’s Algorithm is a riveting read." American Scientist
Review
"Irresistible…If more people could have understood Babbage’s machine the way Lovelace did — indeed, if they had not all but ignored her paper, perhaps because the author was a woman — computing might have had a far earlier start." Chicago Tribune
Review
"A revealing firsthand look into Ada’s life and her relationship with Babbage, relying heavily on their journal entries and letters to each other… One of the most innovative minds of the 19th century." Boston Globe
Review
"A tantalizing topic…The story of a society proceeding irrevocably but ambivalently into the modern age, enthralled by advances in science and technology, adapting to new social mores, and yet still beholden to many antiquated traditions." Wall Street Journal
About the Author
James Essinger is a writer with a particular interest in the history of ideas that have had a practical impact on the modern world. His previous book, Jacquard's Web: How a Hand-Loom Led to the Birth of the Information Age (2004), was chosen as one of the top 5 popular science books of the year by the Economist.