Leibniz’s Dream
Boole Turns Logic into Algebra
Frege: From Breakthrough to Despair
Cantor: Detour through Infinity
Hilbert to the Rescue
Gödel Upsets the Applecart
Turing Conceives of the All-Purpose Computer
Making the First Universal Computers
Beyond Leibniz’s Dream
"The stories masterfully told in this book underscore the power of
ideas and the `futility of predicting in advance where they will
lead.’ … the structure and presentation of the material make the
book an outstanding achievement."
—SIGACT News, 2014 "In just over two hundred pages, noted logician
Davis (emer., New York Univ.) weaves the story, starting with
Leibniz, Boole, and Frege, that leads to the universal computer. …
One should read this book from cover to cover, and take the time to
read the chapter notes. Do not miss Aiken's (1956!) quote in the
introduction, and spend time thinking about the brief summary in
the epilogue. Libraries that do not own the original edition will
definitely want to acquire this book. Summing Up: Highly
recommended. All levels/libraries."
— CHOICE Magazine, October 2012 "Now in a revised edition with
added insights concerning Konrad Zuse, the success of the IBM
Watson on the game show Jeopardy!, and more, The Universal
Computer: The Road from Leibniz to Turing is an extraordinary study
of computational pioneers who ultimately transformed the modern
world. … highly recommended especially for college library computer
science shelves, and an exceptional pick for any reader who is
curious about the lives and efforts of great thinkers."
—Library Bookwatch, September 2012 "I read and enjoyed the first
edition. Upon reading the second, I was again impressed. The book
remains fresh and compelling. … I recommend this book very highly.
It is suitable for a high school or college library."
—Richard Wilders, MAA Reviews, September 2012 "Anyone who works
with computers today, anyone who seeks to look into the electronic
future, can profit greatly from reading Martin Davis’s fine ramble
through the history of logic and the lives of its pioneers."
—John McCarthy, Stanford University "At last, a book about the
origin of the computer that goes to the heart of the story: the
human struggle for logic and truth. Erudite, gripping, and humane,
Martin Davis shows the extraordinary individuals through whom the
groundwork of the computer came into being, and the culmination in
Alan Turing, whose universal machine now dominates the world
economy."
—Andrew Hodges, author of Alan Turing: The Enigma "This updated and
eminently readable account of the development of computers and
computability theory is a well-wrought tribute to the pioneers in
those fields, and in particular to Alan Turing on the occasion of
the 100th anniversary of his birth."
—John W. Dawson, author of Logical Dilemmas: The Life and Work of
Kurt Gödel "The author and I are near the same age, and what
amazing progress we have seen in more than half a century since our
college days! The great pioneers, Alan Turing and John von Neumann,
would be truly astonished to see how computers have evolved and how
they have invaded nearly every aspect of modern life─for both good
and evil. In this centenary of Turing's birth, let us pause to
honor their vision and multiple accomplishments and to enjoy the
lively, readable and insightful story the author weaves for us in
this book."
—Dana S. Scott, University Professor Emeritus, Carnegie Mellon
University, and ACM Turing Award Winner, 1976
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