Empire of the Sum: The Rise and Reign of the Pocket Calculator [Paperback]

A Houstons sprightly history aims to give the calculator the recognition it deserves as a stepping stone to the digital era.& He makes a convincing case, in sum, for the significance of the calculator. Starting from the seemingly simple task of recounting the history of the pocket calculator, Keith Houston unfolds a complex and fascinating history of numeracy, the evolution of technology, and the human desire to push our capabilities ever further. Deep, fun, and insightful all at once: my favorite type of technology book. [An] enlightening history. [Keith] Houstons narrative is full of oddballs, many of them brilliant. Walking readers from a 42,000-year-old counting aid to digital spreadsheets, the book provides a breezy mathematical history tour through the development of number systems, slide rules, mechanical calculators and microchips. An entertaining, informative story about a technology that defined an era. Keith Houston serves as a fantastically insightful and accessible tour guide on this charming journey of an oft-overlooked invention that changed the world and, in its demise, radically changed the world once again.