Synopses & Reviews
Charles Babbage is well described as the "pioneer of the computer", but he was far more than this: his mathematic, scientific, and engineering work is highly significant for its original approach to problem-solving while the economic, political, and theological writings show an incisive appreciation of contemporary debate, and justify the growing consensus which judges Babbage to be one of the most important and rigorous intellectual polymaths of his age.
This edition contains his two major papers: n essay on the calculus of functions, which established his reputation as a mathematician, and On the economy of machinery manufacturers, which was the first work of its kind to concentrate on the manufacturing industry-a turning point in economic writing.
The New York University Press edition includes a comprehensive general introduction in Volume I. Textual notes by leading international experts in the field of Babbage scholarship, such as Professor I. Bernard Cohen, Emeritus Professor of the History of Science, University of Sydney; and Dr. J. A. M. Dubey, Dean of Engineering at the Polytechnic of the South bank, consider the world spectrum of the writings and put the works in context.
All new texts are brought together by a comprehensive index providing easy reference to the complete works- a facility which will allow the integration of Babbage scholarship for the first time. In addition to the standard pagination, the original page numbers have been retained to allow access from contemporary sources. there is also a comprehensive bibliography if works cited in the text- an essential reference tool for any serious scholar. The Works are illustrated throughout with the original diagrams, graphs, and line drawings. Volume 3 also contains 15 plates from Babbage's Calculating Engines (1889).
Synopsis
Despite growing awareness of feminist sensibilities, single women remain polarized in the popular imagination. Either old maids or power women, they remain defined in relation to menwomen who can't get, or, unnaturally, women who don't want a man. Through extensive historical research as well as interviews with dozens of women from San Francisco, London, and Helsinki, Tuula Gordon here forcefully exposes the artificial nature of this perceived dichotomy. The single woman is mistakenly seen to be a product of the twentieth century. Drawing on figures as diverse as Joan of Arc, Elizabeth I, and the Amazons, Gordon brings to light a powerful tradition of single womanhood and calls the marginality of single women into question. Conceptions of woman are important in shaping the possibilities and limitations of single women. A heterogeneous group in terms of occupation, ethnic grouping and sexual orientation, the women portrayed in this book serve to emphasize the diversity of single women, while indicating that their societal and cultural integration is still not wholly free of problems. Tuula Gordon's incisive application of feminist theory further add to a fascinating and invaluable study of an increasingly significant segment of society.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 207-217) and index.
About the Author
Tuula Gordon is currently a lecturer in Sociology at the University of Helsinki. She is the author of
Democracy in One School?: Progressive Education and Restructuring,
Hidden Messages: An Equal Opportunities Teaching Pack, and, also with the NYU Press,
Feminist Mothers.
Dr. Steven Kaplan is Senior Lecturer in Comparative Religion and African Studies and Chair of the African Studies Department at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the author of The Beta Israel (Falasha) in Ethiopia: From Earliest Times to the Twentieth Century, also published by New York University Press.