What do you think?
Rate this book
Charles & Ada: The Computer's Most Passionate Partnership
The partnership of Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace was one that would change science forever. They were an unlikely pair � one the professor son of a banker, the other the only child of an acclaimed poet and a social-reforming mathematician � but perhaps that is why their work was so revolutionary.They were the pioneers of computer science, creating plans for what could have been the first computer. They each saw things the other did it may have been Charles who designed the machines, but it was Ada who could see their potential.But what were they like? And how did they work together? Using previously unpublished correspondence between them, Charles and Ada explores the relationship between two remarkable people who shared dreams far ahead of their time.
256 pages, Paperback
First published August 22, 2019
6 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
James Essinger
43Ìýbooks29ÌýfollowersHi! My name is James Essinger and I'm a writer of fiction and non-fiction.
In my fiction I have a particular interest in personal relationships, travel, history, information technology and chess.
In my non-fiction I have a particular interest in the history of computing, and in language.
I was born in Leicester in the English Midlands in 1957 and I attended Overdale Junior School in Leicester and also Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys. After a year between school and university, I studied English Language and Literature at Lincoln College, which is part of the University of Oxford.
After leaving university I taught English in Finland for three nine-month sessions. I learnt Finnish, and I still speak Finnish fairly fluently. I also speak German and French.
My interests, aside from writing, include: my friends, movies, travel, chess and history.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 23, 2019
Recently, I wrote an article for CAPTIVATING! Magazine about the poet Lord Byron. During my research for this article, I discovered that Byron had a famous daughter named Ada who helped to develop the very first computer. At the time, I didn't have the opportunity to research more about her, so whenÌýCharles and AdaÌýwas offered to bloggers in exchange for an honest review (Thanks Rachel, from Rachel's Random Resources!) I was pleased to accept a copy.Ìý
Reading this book taught me a great deal about the work of Charles Babbage. It was fascinating to hear about his "difference engine." I had no idea that the roots of the first computer were so early in the making and I couldn't help but imagine something right out of a steam punk novel.Ìý The author does an excellent job of writing in a style that is clear and concise so that the casual reader can appreciate Lovelace and Babbage's work in the field of mathematics. Although I don't consider myself to be a mathematically minded person, I was still able to follow the narrative and learn a great deal. I think this is a testament to the author's writing ability.Ìý Ìý
I was even more interested in learning about Ada Lovelace, so I was disappointed to see that many of the primary documents related to her and her work have been destroyed. For this reason, the book seems to focus more on Charles than it does on Ada. Even so, the author creates an interesting and educational narrative about these two often overlooked historical figures. I recommend this book for people who are interested in mathematics or literary history.Ìý
Note: Thank you to Rachel, from Rachel's Random Resources Ìýfor providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.Ìý
Reading this book taught me a great deal about the work of Charles Babbage. It was fascinating to hear about his "difference engine." I had no idea that the roots of the first computer were so early in the making and I couldn't help but imagine something right out of a steam punk novel.Ìý The author does an excellent job of writing in a style that is clear and concise so that the casual reader can appreciate Lovelace and Babbage's work in the field of mathematics. Although I don't consider myself to be a mathematically minded person, I was still able to follow the narrative and learn a great deal. I think this is a testament to the author's writing ability.Ìý Ìý
I was even more interested in learning about Ada Lovelace, so I was disappointed to see that many of the primary documents related to her and her work have been destroyed. For this reason, the book seems to focus more on Charles than it does on Ada. Even so, the author creates an interesting and educational narrative about these two often overlooked historical figures. I recommend this book for people who are interested in mathematics or literary history.Ìý
Note: Thank you to Rachel, from Rachel's Random Resources Ìýfor providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.Ìý
October 23, 2019
I recently read a children’s book on the life of Ada Lovelace and it really intrigued me so when I had the opportunity to read a copy of this book I was really keen to give it a go.
I liked the author’s writing style and I liked learning more about the relationship between Ada and Charles and their impact on future generations.
Sadly, the book is limited to a degree as we don’t have access to the personal records from Ada herself due to various issues but the author did a good job and this has really inspired me to read more about her where I can.
Ava was a very interesting lady and I really do think she should be celebrated a lot more for the role she played alongside Charles as for me she was really the one who needs the recognition here as she was a stand out in her field at that time.
It is 3.5 stars from me for this one, rounded up to 4 stars for Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ and Amazon.
January 12, 2020
Charles Babbage is one of my favorite people to read about, but this has to be one of the most exasperating biographies I've ever read. I was enjoying it up until about a third of the way through, but then I started to notice several odd things.
It's often unclear what kind of audience the author is writing for. There are weirdly basic explanations that anyone who picks up this book is probably not going to need. He seems overly concerned about explaining every single time the spelling is irregular in a piece of correspondence, and I quote, "That circumstances over which I had no control [Charles here spells this word without a 'u']." Thanks, I saw that he spelled it without a 'u'. I also saw the other time that he spelled it with a 'u,' which was also helpfully pointed out. Most of us know spelling was a bit irregular in the 19th century, but it's just kind of strange to be so fixated on it in this book.
It's obvious that a lot of research went into the book, but the writing style is simply peculiar sometimes. The tone is sometimes jarring and would be more at home in a (vaguely) historical fiction/romance. I give you an example that left me scratching my head. "Very possibly it is in fact impossible ever to know anybody completely anyway, even if we think what knowing somebody completely really means." This is a sentence in search of an editor.
Or what about this: Now Benjamin was dead, the only way Charles could have hoped to redeem himself in his father's eyes would have been through necromancy or a seance, and ever since leaving Cambridge and the Ghost Club, Charles had shown no significant interest in communing with spirits."
Um. Ok.
Wait, what?
The text gets really speculative but doesn't provide much satisfying context for its flights of fancy. It is annoyingly insistent that Charles and Ada thought about getting married, with absolutely no source evidence other than what can be skewed and reinterpreted in a way that just isn't convincing. I'll allow that the question could be asked once at the beginning of their relationship (and left unanswered), but the author KEEPS coming back to it, later wondering why Charles didn't write more passionate letters to Ada and concluding that it was because her husband might see them. I don't know, maybe it's because they were actually just friends, with a hefty age gap, and some academic interests in common? That line of speculation just got creepier and creepier, but not because I thought it had a basis in fact, more because the author was so obsessed with it. And trust me, he goes even farther with his speculation, but I won't.
The only thing I felt good about was his defense of Ada Lovelace as a competent interpreter of Babbage's Analytical Engine, which some have chosen to doubt due to her gender and her emotional afflictions.
There are a lot of important facts presented in this work, and some source documents intriguingly cited for the first time, but the writing just didn't make the grade for me.
It's often unclear what kind of audience the author is writing for. There are weirdly basic explanations that anyone who picks up this book is probably not going to need. He seems overly concerned about explaining every single time the spelling is irregular in a piece of correspondence, and I quote, "That circumstances over which I had no control [Charles here spells this word without a 'u']." Thanks, I saw that he spelled it without a 'u'. I also saw the other time that he spelled it with a 'u,' which was also helpfully pointed out. Most of us know spelling was a bit irregular in the 19th century, but it's just kind of strange to be so fixated on it in this book.
It's obvious that a lot of research went into the book, but the writing style is simply peculiar sometimes. The tone is sometimes jarring and would be more at home in a (vaguely) historical fiction/romance. I give you an example that left me scratching my head. "Very possibly it is in fact impossible ever to know anybody completely anyway, even if we think what knowing somebody completely really means." This is a sentence in search of an editor.
Or what about this: Now Benjamin was dead, the only way Charles could have hoped to redeem himself in his father's eyes would have been through necromancy or a seance, and ever since leaving Cambridge and the Ghost Club, Charles had shown no significant interest in communing with spirits."
Um. Ok.
Wait, what?
The text gets really speculative but doesn't provide much satisfying context for its flights of fancy. It is annoyingly insistent that Charles and Ada thought about getting married, with absolutely no source evidence other than what can be skewed and reinterpreted in a way that just isn't convincing. I'll allow that the question could be asked once at the beginning of their relationship (and left unanswered), but the author KEEPS coming back to it, later wondering why Charles didn't write more passionate letters to Ada and concluding that it was because her husband might see them. I don't know, maybe it's because they were actually just friends, with a hefty age gap, and some academic interests in common? That line of speculation just got creepier and creepier, but not because I thought it had a basis in fact, more because the author was so obsessed with it. And trust me, he goes even farther with his speculation, but I won't.
The only thing I felt good about was his defense of Ada Lovelace as a competent interpreter of Babbage's Analytical Engine, which some have chosen to doubt due to her gender and her emotional afflictions.
There are a lot of important facts presented in this work, and some source documents intriguingly cited for the first time, but the writing just didn't make the grade for me.
October 24, 2019
While this is presented as a biography of Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace, his professional partner and collaborator, it's mostly about Babbage. One gets pretty far in before there's much about Ada Lovelace.
It's true that there was a considerable difference in their ages, and they met when he was a widower in his thirties and she was nineteen. By the time he met Ada Byron, later Ada Lovelace, he had built a working 1/7 prototype of the Difference Engine. After they met, they quickly became friends, based in their shared love of science and mathematics, and more gradually, dedicated professional partners. Ada Lovelace became an essential part of his work on the Difference Engine 2 and the Analytical Engine. But really, this book is mostly about Charles Babbage.
That said, it's a very interesting account of both the roots and the development of Babbage's ideas, including the seemingly unexpected role played by advances in weaving, most importantly, the development of the Jacquard loom, producing intricate and beautiful designs by means of punchcards.
I suppose many younger readers may not know what punchcards have to do with computers, but those of use growing old and gray remember carrying shoeboxes of them to the computer center to have our programs run. It's a little disconcerting to realize that goes right back to the late 18th/ early 19th century--and to expensive, artistic weaving.
The original machine, the Difference Engine, only needed cogwheels, but that was a major challenge. A significant limitation on Babbage's ability to build a full-size Difference Engine was the inability, in the first half of the 19th century, to manufacture large numbers of identical cogwheels. Each had to be made individually, and while there were ways to reduce the differences, making them identical required extensive polishing and finishing by hand. This in turn made them extremely expensive, even for a machine that would be primarily intended for large, profitable, manufacturing companies.
But the Difference Engine only needed the cogwheels, and a handwheel to start it working. Collaborating with Ada Lovelace, and continuing to read, study, and research, the idea of the far more sophisticated, flexible, powerful Analytical Engine, capable of far more, and more complex, mathematical calculations. The Analytical Engine needed the punchcards to do its work.
Of course, it also still needed the cogwheels.
And Charles Babbage, brilliant, insightful, inventive, was not cut out to manage a large project, while the Difference Engine and the Analytical Engine, if they were to be perfected and built, would be large projects. The invention was more than within his grasp. Project management was not.
Still it's an interesting and enjoyable book, even if not quite everything it promises.
Recommended.
I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher, and am reviewing it voluntarily.
It's true that there was a considerable difference in their ages, and they met when he was a widower in his thirties and she was nineteen. By the time he met Ada Byron, later Ada Lovelace, he had built a working 1/7 prototype of the Difference Engine. After they met, they quickly became friends, based in their shared love of science and mathematics, and more gradually, dedicated professional partners. Ada Lovelace became an essential part of his work on the Difference Engine 2 and the Analytical Engine. But really, this book is mostly about Charles Babbage.
That said, it's a very interesting account of both the roots and the development of Babbage's ideas, including the seemingly unexpected role played by advances in weaving, most importantly, the development of the Jacquard loom, producing intricate and beautiful designs by means of punchcards.
I suppose many younger readers may not know what punchcards have to do with computers, but those of use growing old and gray remember carrying shoeboxes of them to the computer center to have our programs run. It's a little disconcerting to realize that goes right back to the late 18th/ early 19th century--and to expensive, artistic weaving.
The original machine, the Difference Engine, only needed cogwheels, but that was a major challenge. A significant limitation on Babbage's ability to build a full-size Difference Engine was the inability, in the first half of the 19th century, to manufacture large numbers of identical cogwheels. Each had to be made individually, and while there were ways to reduce the differences, making them identical required extensive polishing and finishing by hand. This in turn made them extremely expensive, even for a machine that would be primarily intended for large, profitable, manufacturing companies.
But the Difference Engine only needed the cogwheels, and a handwheel to start it working. Collaborating with Ada Lovelace, and continuing to read, study, and research, the idea of the far more sophisticated, flexible, powerful Analytical Engine, capable of far more, and more complex, mathematical calculations. The Analytical Engine needed the punchcards to do its work.
Of course, it also still needed the cogwheels.
And Charles Babbage, brilliant, insightful, inventive, was not cut out to manage a large project, while the Difference Engine and the Analytical Engine, if they were to be perfected and built, would be large projects. The invention was more than within his grasp. Project management was not.
Still it's an interesting and enjoyable book, even if not quite everything it promises.
Recommended.
I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher, and am reviewing it voluntarily.
October 20, 2019
See my blog for review 23rd October 2019
This book is more a biography of Charles Babbage than the exploration of the working and personal relationship of Babbage and Lovelace that I was expecting. The material available is necessarily limited by the destruction of much of Ada Lovelace's correspondence after her death and the general wearing of time on fragile paper, but the author does his best and provides as much first hand information as he can.
It's a start if you're interested in these formative years of computer science.
This book is more a biography of Charles Babbage than the exploration of the working and personal relationship of Babbage and Lovelace that I was expecting. The material available is necessarily limited by the destruction of much of Ada Lovelace's correspondence after her death and the general wearing of time on fragile paper, but the author does his best and provides as much first hand information as he can.
It's a start if you're interested in these formative years of computer science.
October 31, 2019
This book calls the relationship between Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace “The Computer’s Most Passionate Partnership�. It is a book which uses considerable research into the extant letters and papers of Charles dating from the first half of the nineteenth century. Fortunately, some of Ada’s letters have also survived, and it is these in addition to her published Notes on a mathematical work that provide some of her part of the story. This book has most to say about Charles, a rich man who devoted much of his life to the theoretical background of two machines which had the potential to revolutionise information technology . His tragic family history and somewhat intractable personality are examined as probable explanations for his failure to actually oversee the construction of the Difference Engine and the Analytical Engine which would have made possible the automatic calculation of complicated mathematical problems.
This book details the development of Babbage’s thought which broke barriers in the world of complex mathematics, but much of it depended on the actual construction of machines which were at the edge of what anyone thought could be achieved at the time. It expresses some of the frustration with unfulfilled plans that could have achieved so much and made such a difference to the Industrial Revolution. This is also a personal story of two lives, affected by their parentage, and shaped by the ability and ambition to achieve more than even dreamt of by virtually anyone else. A fascinating subject, this book flows so well as to be enjoyable and very readable. I was pleased to have the opportunity to read and review this book.
The book is very interesting on the parentage of both of the mathematicians. Benjamin Babbage, Charles� father, was a man with an eye to the main chance who went into a form of banking, and made a considerable fortune which in time Charles inherited the bulk of, a fact commented on by Georgina, Charles� wife whose tragically early death transformed Charles� life. Ada Lovelace was the only legitimate offspring of the poet Lord Byron, and her determined mother helped to ensure that the brilliant child became a gifted mathematician and translator. The progress of Charles� theories concerning the way that complex equations and mathematics could be worked out by mechanical means is carefully introduced. Essinger’s assertions are carefully backed up by reference to Charles� correspondence, which means that there are copies of letters applying for positions and recalling when and what Charles thought about the machines. It acknowledges the inspiration of the Jacquard looms and its breakthrough use of punched cards to make possible complex silk weaving into complex patterns and even pictures. It also reproduces Charles� account of his climatic meeting with Robert Peel, and suggests that the financial fallout of the unfinished Difference Engine was one of the main, if not the only, reason for much of Charles� unfinished plans.
The question of Ada’s contribution or otherwise to Charles� work is expanded through the book. The actions of her mother in securing an advantageous marriage is significant to the story, as well as speculation regarding the possibility of a romantic attachment between Ada and Charles. The information regarding Ada is lacking at times, but the theory that she provided encouragement and facilitated discussion of Charles� theories from her unique understanding of his work is an important element of the book. It is suggested that she had the ability to do far more than he would allow in pushing the theories through to the actual building of the engines, and that she made a realistic offer to recast the calculations necessary which was rebuffed by the independent Babbage. It also emphasises that Ada not only translated a French mathematical treatise, but wrote a much more complex set of Notes on it. The brilliance of the work is still discussed today; it is obvious that her early death robbed the beginnings of information technology of someone who had the capacity to make a real contribution.
This is a book which attempts in a very readable form to make a reasoned argument for Babbage’s brilliance but lack of practical application. It devotes less space to Ada, but refers to other writing by this author so that may be balanced out. This is a compact and well written, well argued book for the non specialist with an interest in the beginnings of computer science on a personal level. The useful index and bibliography would enable someone to take a study of both significant characters beyond this altogether admirable book.
This book details the development of Babbage’s thought which broke barriers in the world of complex mathematics, but much of it depended on the actual construction of machines which were at the edge of what anyone thought could be achieved at the time. It expresses some of the frustration with unfulfilled plans that could have achieved so much and made such a difference to the Industrial Revolution. This is also a personal story of two lives, affected by their parentage, and shaped by the ability and ambition to achieve more than even dreamt of by virtually anyone else. A fascinating subject, this book flows so well as to be enjoyable and very readable. I was pleased to have the opportunity to read and review this book.
The book is very interesting on the parentage of both of the mathematicians. Benjamin Babbage, Charles� father, was a man with an eye to the main chance who went into a form of banking, and made a considerable fortune which in time Charles inherited the bulk of, a fact commented on by Georgina, Charles� wife whose tragically early death transformed Charles� life. Ada Lovelace was the only legitimate offspring of the poet Lord Byron, and her determined mother helped to ensure that the brilliant child became a gifted mathematician and translator. The progress of Charles� theories concerning the way that complex equations and mathematics could be worked out by mechanical means is carefully introduced. Essinger’s assertions are carefully backed up by reference to Charles� correspondence, which means that there are copies of letters applying for positions and recalling when and what Charles thought about the machines. It acknowledges the inspiration of the Jacquard looms and its breakthrough use of punched cards to make possible complex silk weaving into complex patterns and even pictures. It also reproduces Charles� account of his climatic meeting with Robert Peel, and suggests that the financial fallout of the unfinished Difference Engine was one of the main, if not the only, reason for much of Charles� unfinished plans.
The question of Ada’s contribution or otherwise to Charles� work is expanded through the book. The actions of her mother in securing an advantageous marriage is significant to the story, as well as speculation regarding the possibility of a romantic attachment between Ada and Charles. The information regarding Ada is lacking at times, but the theory that she provided encouragement and facilitated discussion of Charles� theories from her unique understanding of his work is an important element of the book. It is suggested that she had the ability to do far more than he would allow in pushing the theories through to the actual building of the engines, and that she made a realistic offer to recast the calculations necessary which was rebuffed by the independent Babbage. It also emphasises that Ada not only translated a French mathematical treatise, but wrote a much more complex set of Notes on it. The brilliance of the work is still discussed today; it is obvious that her early death robbed the beginnings of information technology of someone who had the capacity to make a real contribution.
This is a book which attempts in a very readable form to make a reasoned argument for Babbage’s brilliance but lack of practical application. It devotes less space to Ada, but refers to other writing by this author so that may be balanced out. This is a compact and well written, well argued book for the non specialist with an interest in the beginnings of computer science on a personal level. The useful index and bibliography would enable someone to take a study of both significant characters beyond this altogether admirable book.
October 24, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this well research bio on some of the most famous names in the pioneer in computer engineering - Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace, who were both well ahead of their time. Essinger was able to capture and made well use of the research and the extensive collection available in the British Library Babbage Archive in London, and also included amazing amounts of personal material on Babbages' eventful life, both tragic and private. Essinger's brilliant story telling and filling in the blanks to what Charles Babbages life was his true genius. The book read with such ease and the stories presented were so interesting that included the social history of that time. I learned a lot and really enjoyed this read with such enthusiasm that I highly recommend this amazing and well-written biography.
April 8, 2021
Having invested 90 minutes of my life in this book I'm left wondering who it's really for. While the level of research apparently invested suggests a fairly serious historical work, the speculations on what a romantic relationship between Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace would look like puts this book in the category of historical fan-fic. Then, having looked up a bit more of Essinger's background, it turns out that he has a stage production of the life of Madame Lovelace, suggesting that an exercise in historical fan-fic was precisely the point. I wouldn't go so far as to say I want those 90 minutes of my life back, but I also find it hard to really recommend this work.
November 16, 2019
I really enjoyed this book as although I knew the names of Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace, I had no idea of their significance on today’s world.
This book is an excellent resource to learn more about them, their time and the science community. The author has done extensive research to provide the reader with a comprehensive account of the scientists lives and their contribution to the scientific world.
A very good biography of two people who really should be more celebrated.
This book is an excellent resource to learn more about them, their time and the science community. The author has done extensive research to provide the reader with a comprehensive account of the scientists lives and their contribution to the scientific world.
A very good biography of two people who really should be more celebrated.
March 9, 2020
Honestly, the material is interesting and (I assume) well-documented. A little distracting is the author's use of informal punctuation, slightly convoluted syntax, and first-person comments -- breaking the "fourth wall," so to speak. A very thorough treatment, maybe with too many restatements of certain points. Wish I could give 4 stars for content separate from the overall rating.
April 16, 2021
A very detailed book of the life of an inventor of sorts, despite him not completing any projects. His inventions paved the way for other machines later on.
And had Ada Lovelace been born in our time, she would have been one of the top mathematicians.
And had Ada Lovelace been born in our time, she would have been one of the top mathematicians.
January 15, 2023
Excellent account of the lives of two extraordinary people. I have read a great deal about Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace, and this book is head and shoulders above the rest.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.