James Essinger

Last updated

James Essinger - March 29 2020.jpg
James Essinger - March 2020
BornJames Julius Essinger
(1957-09-05) 5 September 1957 (age 66)
Leicester
OccupationWriter
LanguageEnglish
NationalityBritish
EducationMA (Hons) English Language and Literature
Alma materOxford University, Lincoln College
Notable worksJacquard's Web; Spellbound: The surprising origins and astonishing secrets of English spelling

James Essinger (born 5 September 1957) is a freelance writer and British author of numerous financial and business management books, but he is better known for his non-fiction books. These include Spellbound: The Improbable Story of English Spelling [1] and his popular science book on the history of computing, Jacquard's Web. [2] Essinger is also the author, with Jovanka Houska, of The Mating Game, a novel set in the world of chess, and of a Young Adult thriller, Josh Moonford and the Lost City of Cantia.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Biography

Born in Leicester (5 September 1957), Essinger was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys, Leicester, and at Lincoln College, Oxford, where he obtained an MA in English Language and Literature. [3] Although a competition-level chess player, Essinger chose to focus on his academic career rather than entering the world of professional chess. After university, Essinger went to Finland where he taught English and became fluent in Finnish. [4] [5]

Since 1984, Essinger has been a freelance reporter [3] [6] [7] and prolific writer of books, articles and other publications. [8] [9] [10]

In December 2015, Essinger founded 'The Conrad Press', a publishing firm in Canterbury, [11] publishing the first fiction works by various authors, including Peter Taylor-Gooby, and local historian Paul Crampton. The Conrad Press now has more than 350 books in print or in production.

Publications

Essinger's writing begun in finance, management and IT, but more recently focuses on historical books.

Finance, IT and management (selection)

History of computing

His book, Jacquard's Web, develops from his involvement writing a computer history book about Charles Babbage, [12] The Cogwheel Brain, with Dr. Doron Swade . [13] His own research starts earlier and covers the role of Jacquard's Loom cards (the idea which Babbage used for his first 'computers', the Difference Engine and the Analytical Engine ), which were the precursors of the first programming languages, a significance recognised by Babbage's friend, Ada Lovelace.

Jacquard's Web (2004) was named one of The Economist's Best Science and Technology Books of 2004 [14] [15] and one of the best books in Science and Technology for 2004 by Entertainment Weekly . [15] [16]

Essinger continues this interest in his biography of Ada Lovelace, A Female Genius: How Ada Lovelace Started the Computer Age (2013) [17] This book was published in the United States under the title Ada’s Algorithm (2014). In 2019 Essinger published a book about the friendship between Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace, Charles and Ada: the computer’s most passionate partnership. [18]

A movie option has been bought to Ada’s Algorithm by Monumental Productions [19]

Essinger has also written the libretto and most of the lyrics for a new two-act musical about Ada Lovelace: Ada’s Algorithm, the Ada Lovelace musical. [20]

History of spelling

Spellbound: the true story of man's greatest invention (2005) explores the English language and how it has developed through the ages to the quirkiness of today. Essinger covers topics from the extended meanings of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, King Alfred the Great's promotion of Anglo Saxon English to influences on our contemporary language. [21] He discusses how English is a mongrel mix of languages from as diverse sources as Cornish, Finnish and Inuit, [22] and how it shapes the English people. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ada Lovelace</span> English mathematician (1815–1852)

Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace was an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. She was the first to recognise that the machine had applications beyond pure calculation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Analytical engine</span> Proposed mechanical general-purpose computer

The analytical engine was a proposed mechanical general-purpose computer designed by English mathematician and computer pioneer Charles Babbage. It was first described in 1837 as the successor to Babbage's difference engine, which was a design for a simpler mechanical calculator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computer science</span> Study of computation

Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines to applied disciplines. Though more often considered an academic discipline, computer science is closely related to computer programming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Babbage</span> English mathematician, philosopher, and engineer (1791–1871)

Charles Babbage was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable computer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Difference engine</span> Automatic mechanical calculator designed to tabulate polynomial functions

A difference engine is an automatic mechanical calculator designed to tabulate polynomial functions. It was designed in the 1820s, and was first created by Charles Babbage. The name difference engine is derived from the method of divided differences, a way to interpolate or tabulate functions by using a small set of polynomial co-efficients. Some of the most common mathematical functions used in engineering, science and navigation, are built from logarithmic and trigonometric functions, which can be approximated by polynomials, so a difference engine can compute many useful tables.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacquard machine</span> Control device attached to weaving looms

The Jacquard machine is a device fitted to a loom that simplifies the process of manufacturing textiles with such complex patterns as brocade, damask and matelassé. The resulting ensemble of the loom and Jacquard machine is then called a Jacquard loom. The machine was patented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1804, based on earlier inventions by the Frenchmen Basile Bouchon (1725), Jean Baptiste Falcon (1728), and Jacques Vaucanson (1740). The machine was controlled by a "chain of cards"; a number of punched cards laced together into a continuous sequence. Multiple rows of holes were punched on each card, with one complete card corresponding to one row of the design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Programmer</span> Person who writes computer software

A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of computing hardware before 1950</span>

This article presents a detailed timeline of events in the history of computing software and hardware: from prehistory until 1949. For narratives explaining the overall developments, see History of computing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Marie Jacquard</span> French inventor (1752–1834)

Joseph Marie CharlesditJacquard was a French weaver and merchant. He played an important role in the development of the earliest programmable loom, which in turn played an important role in the development of other programmable machines, such as an early version of digital compiler used by IBM to develop the modern day computer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BCS Lovelace Medal</span> Award

The Lovelace Medal was established by the British Computer Society in 1998, and is presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the understanding or advancement of computing. It is the top award in computing in the UK. Awardees deliver the Lovelace Lecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of computer science</span> Aspect of history

The history of computer science began long before the modern discipline of computer science, usually appearing in forms like mathematics or physics. Developments in previous centuries alluded to the discipline that we now know as computer science. This progression, from mechanical inventions and mathematical theories towards modern computer concepts and machines, led to the development of a major academic field, massive technological advancement across the Western world, and the basis of a massive worldwide trade and culture.

<i>Conceiving Ada</i> 1997 American film

Conceiving Ada is a 1997 film produced, written, and directed by Lynn Hershman Leeson. Henry S. Rosenthal was co-producer of the film. The cinematography was by Hiro Narita and Bill Zarchy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computer</span> Automatic general-purpose device for performing arithmetic or logical operations

A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These programs enable computers to perform a wide range of tasks. A computer system is a nominally complete computer that includes the hardware, operating system, and peripheral equipment needed and used for full operation. This term may also refer to a group of computers that are linked and function together, such as a computer network or computer cluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doron Swade</span> South-African–British computer historian and curator

Doron Swade MBE, born 1944, is a museum curator and author, specialising in the history of computing. He is especially known for his work on the computer pioneer Charles Babbage and his Difference Engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Padua</span>

Melina Sydney Padua is a graphic artist and animator based in the United Kingdom. She is the author of The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage steampunk comic, and her animation work appears in several popular Hollywood films.

This is a list of publications by English author James Essinger. For information about the author see main article James Essinger.

<i>The Innovators</i> (book) 2014 book by Walter Isaacson

The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution is an overview of the history of computer science and the Digital Revolution. It was written by Walter Isaacson, and published in 2014 by Simon & Schuster.

<i>The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage</i> 2015 graphic novel written by Sydney Padua

The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Computer is a steampunk graphic novel written and drawn by Sydney Padua. It features Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage in an alternative universe where they have successfully built an Analytical Engine and use it to "fight crime".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Note G</span> Computer algorithm

Note G was a computer algorithm written by Ada Lovelace, and was designed to calculate Bernoulli numbers using the hypothetical analytical engine. Note G is generally agreed to be the first algorithm specifically for a computer, and Lovelace is considered as the first computer programmer as a result. The algorithm was the last note in a series labelled A to G, which she employed as visual aids to accompany her English translation of Luigi Menabrea's 1842 French transcription of Charles Babbage's lecture on the analytical engine at the University of Turin, "Notions sur la machine analytique de Charles Babbage". Lovelace's Note G was never tested, as the engine was never built. Her notes, along with her translation, were published in 1843.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonietta Grassi</span> Canadian artist

Antonietta Grassi is a contemporary Canadian artist based in Montreal, Quebec. She is known for her geometric abstract paintings which reference textiles, architecture, analog technologies and the history of 20th century painting. Her work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in museums and galleries in Canada, the United States, and in Europe

References

  1. ↑ Essinger, James (2006). Spellbound: The Improbable Story of English Spelling: The True Story of Man's Greatest Invention. Robson Books Ltd. ISBN   978-1861059062.
  2. ↑ Essinger, James (2004). Jacquard's Web: How a hand-loom led to the birth of the information age . United Kingdom: OUP Oxford. ISBN   9780192805775.
  3. 1 2 Essinger, James. "The High-TEch Retail Financial Services Revolution" (PDF). Global Business Insights. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  4. ↑ Wignall, Alice (27 June 2006). "Latin lover: Latin was a living thing for James Essinger". The Guardian . Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  5. ↑ "Essinger, James 1957–". Gale Contemporary Authors series. Gale Group. 1 January 2006. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2013– via Highbeam Research.
  6. ↑ unknown (25 October 1988). "Computers not to blame for crash, says report". The Age. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  7. ↑ Essinger, James (30 May 1993). "Revolution starts at the bottom: James Essinger on a different route to market for East European banks". The Independent. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  8. ↑ Essinger, James. "200th years of Petra, Jordan". Business Destinations. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  9. ↑ Essinger, James (19 November 2012). "The myth of chartism". World Finance. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  10. ↑ "The Conrad Press". theconradpress.com.
  11. ↑ Prince, Rosa (1 March 1998). "Tragedy of man who invented computer 150 years too soon". The Independent. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  12. ↑ Swade, Doron (2000). The cogwheel brain : Charles Babbage and the quest to build the first computer. London: Little, Brown. ISBN   978-0316648479.
  13. ↑ "Books of the year 2004: Feet up, volume down". The Economist. 25 November 2004. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  14. 1 2 "Jacquard's Web". Oxford University Press. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  15. ↑ Kim, Wook (3 December 2004). "Jacquard's Web (review)". Engertainment Weekly. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  16. ↑ Essinger, James (2013). A Female Genius: How Ada Lovelace Started the Computer Age . UK: Gibson Square Books Ltd. ISBN   978-1908096661.
  17. ↑ Essinger, James (2019). Charles and Ada: The Computer's Most Passionate Partnership. ISBN   978-0750990950.
  18. ↑ "Computer Science Pioneer Ada Lovelace Biopic in Works at Monumental with Google Support". The Hollywood Reporter . 14 October 2016.
  19. ↑ "Home". theadalovelacemusical.com.
  20. ↑ Wallraff, Barbara (5 May 2007). "Why English Isn't as Easy as A-B-C". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  21. ↑ Blake, Julie (2008). "Getting tuffa on the causes of spelling". English in Education. 42 (2): 199–212. doi:10.1111/j.1754-8845.2008.00017_1.x.
  22. ↑ Palmer, Sue (7 July 2006). "Spellbound: the improbable story of English spelling". Times Literarary Supplement. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.