From Gutenberg to the Internet [Review]

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	Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship
	Fall 2005

	DOI:10.5062/F4MG7MFF



      

  Book Reviews
  From Gutenberg to the Internet: A Sourcebook on the History of Information Technology
    
D. Lynn Koenig
  Journalism Librarian
  University of Kansas
  Lawrence, Kansas
dlynn@ku.edu  
    


    


From Gutenberg to the Internet : a sourcebook on the history of information technology /  Jeremy M. Norman. Novato, Calif. : Historyofscience.com, 2005. ISBN 0-930405-87-0. $69.50.  
     This is a very interesting, informative account of how information technology   has evolved into what it is today. It shows the reader what had to be accomplished   so we could use the Internet, a research tool that we use in our everyday lives.  

     This handbook could be useful to anyone who has an interest in information   technology and its abundant history. With that said, I don't feel that there is   a particular target audience; this book has a relatively broad scope   and would be something that anyone would benefit from reading. This could also   be used as a study tool for students of computer science or communications.  

     This book has a very extensive table of contents and a lengthy introduction that   explains how certain technologies eventually became the Internet as we know it   today. A chapter at the end of the book lists materials   for further reading, and an index of names is included to make the book   easier to use when locating information. There are   a few illustrations and drawings throughout the book that add   interest for the reader. Some of the text can be difficult to understand, but   the images are a tool to help the reader understand what is   trying to be conveyed.  

     The book is divided into topic areas and the information contained in this   handbook has been compiled from the writings of many different individuals, many of   whom are experts in the field. For example, Charles Babbage, known to some as   the "Father of Computing" is the source of much of the information contained in this   book. This book exhibits the authority necessary to be of value to   its readers.  

     This book educates the reader about how much work went into what   we now know as the Internet. It was a step-by-step process that took the work   of many people. In today's society it is amazing how dependent everyone is on   the technology that is available. It is important to realize also that the children   of today never knew a world without the Internet. It raises the question: What's   next?  

     This sourcebook does a good job of getting its message across and it would be a valuable   tool to add to any collection, especially if the library has students or others who   wish to learn the roots of information technology, as we   know it today.  

     

  

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