Jacquard's Web

How a hand-loom led to the birth of the information age

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Other Sciences, History, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book Jacquard's Web by James Essinger, OUP Oxford
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: James Essinger ISBN: 9780191501142
Publisher: OUP Oxford Publication: October 28, 2004
Imprint: OUP Oxford Language: English
Author: James Essinger
ISBN: 9780191501142
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Publication: October 28, 2004
Imprint: OUP Oxford
Language: English

Jacquard's Web is the story of some of the most ingenious inventors the world has ever known, a fascinating account of how a hand-loom invented in Napoleonic France led to the development of the modern information age. James Essinger, a master story-teller, shows through a series of remarkable and meticulously researched historical connections (spanning two centuries and never investigated before) that the Jacquard loom kick-started a process of scientific evolution which would lead directly to the development of the modern computer. The invention of Jacquard's loom in 1804 enabled the master silk-weavers of Lyons to weave fabrics 25 times faster than had previously been possible. The device used punched cards, which stored instructions for weaving whatever pattern or design was required; it proved an outstanding success. These cards can very reasonably be described as the world's first computer programmes. In this engaging and delightful book, James Essinger reveals a plethora of extraordinary links between the nineteenth-century world of weaving and today's computer age: to give just one example, modern computer graphics displays are based on exactly the same principles as those employed in Jacquard's special woven tableaux. Jacquard's Web also introduces some of the most colourful and interesting characters in the history of science and technology: the modest but exceptionally dedicated Jacquard himself, the brilliant but temperamental Victorian polymath Charles Babbage, who dreamt of a cogwheel computer operated using Jacquard cards, and the imaginative and perceptive Ada Lovelace, Lord Byron's only legitimate daughter.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Jacquard's Web is the story of some of the most ingenious inventors the world has ever known, a fascinating account of how a hand-loom invented in Napoleonic France led to the development of the modern information age. James Essinger, a master story-teller, shows through a series of remarkable and meticulously researched historical connections (spanning two centuries and never investigated before) that the Jacquard loom kick-started a process of scientific evolution which would lead directly to the development of the modern computer. The invention of Jacquard's loom in 1804 enabled the master silk-weavers of Lyons to weave fabrics 25 times faster than had previously been possible. The device used punched cards, which stored instructions for weaving whatever pattern or design was required; it proved an outstanding success. These cards can very reasonably be described as the world's first computer programmes. In this engaging and delightful book, James Essinger reveals a plethora of extraordinary links between the nineteenth-century world of weaving and today's computer age: to give just one example, modern computer graphics displays are based on exactly the same principles as those employed in Jacquard's special woven tableaux. Jacquard's Web also introduces some of the most colourful and interesting characters in the history of science and technology: the modest but exceptionally dedicated Jacquard himself, the brilliant but temperamental Victorian polymath Charles Babbage, who dreamt of a cogwheel computer operated using Jacquard cards, and the imaginative and perceptive Ada Lovelace, Lord Byron's only legitimate daughter.

More books from OUP Oxford

Cover of the book Viscoelastic Behavior of Rubbery Materials by James Essinger
Cover of the book Lie Groups and Lie Algebras - A Physicist's Perspective by James Essinger
Cover of the book Human Factors in Healthcare by James Essinger
Cover of the book ADHD and Hyperkinetic Disorder by James Essinger
Cover of the book The Constitution of the Criminal Law by James Essinger
Cover of the book The Principle of Loyalty in EU Law by James Essinger
Cover of the book Multilingualism: A Very Short Introduction by James Essinger
Cover of the book Towards a Theory of Development by James Essinger
Cover of the book The European Union: A Very Short Introduction by James Essinger
Cover of the book Unapproved Routes by James Essinger
Cover of the book Letters of Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1895-1958 by James Essinger
Cover of the book Pandas and People by James Essinger
Cover of the book The Oxford History of Byzantium by James Essinger
Cover of the book Blackstone's Civil Practice 2019: The Commentary by James Essinger
Cover of the book Regard for Reason in the Moral Mind by James Essinger
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy