A Bibliographic Guide to the History of Computing, Computers, and the Information Processing Industry

(Hardback)

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As millions of people have been exposed to computing through the tremendous growth of microcomputers, there has developed an increasing appreciation of the history of data processing, which dates back many decades before the arrival of the computer. Stretching back to at least the 1860s, such early technologies as adding machines, punch cards, and the office appliance industry are now being recognized for their place in the history of the information processing industry. This work brings together a comprehensive list of sources that offer a general introduction to the literature of the industry. Divided into nine chapters covering topics and historical periods, the bibliography provides an annotated list of published materials describing both the history of the industry and significant items of general interest. Each chapter is introduced with a short review of historically important issues and comments on the literature, and contains contemporary publications as well as more recent material. To give the work a continuing usefulness, ongoing publications, such as computer magazines, are highlighted. Entries are grouped under nearly 100 subheadings, covering such material as contemporary descriptions of hardware and software of the past, seminal technical papers, industry surveys, programming languages, significant individuals and companies, and the role of Japan and microcomputing. All citations are annotated with a brief summary of either the work's contents or its historical importance, while two indexes provide both subject references and author citations. This bibliography will be an important reference source for courses in the history of data processing and business history, and a useful addition to public, college, and university libraries.

Reviews

A much expanded version of Cortada's Annotated Bibliography on the History of Data Processing. Almost anything that fits the subject can be found here: books and chapters in books, articles from research journals along with pieces from popular magazines. Two features make this work commendable, especially for the nonexpert: the introductory pages for the various sections, which do a good job of explaining the scope of each part; and the annotations--most are informative even when short. Cortada's book is recommended for large undergraduate or graduate libraries.-Choice
"A much expanded version of Cortada's Annotated Bibliography on the History of Data Processing. Almost anything that fits the subject can be found here: books and chapters in books, articles from research journals along with pieces from popular magazines. Two features make this work commendable, especially for the nonexpert: the introductory pages for the various sections, which do a good job of explaining the scope of each part; and the annotations--most are informative even when short. Cortada's book is recommended for large undergraduate or graduate libraries."-Choice

Author Bio

JAMES W. CORTADA is a Marketing Manager at IBM Corporation. He is the author of several books on the history of management of information processing, including a three-volume Historical Dictionary of Data Processing (Greenwood Press) and Archives of Data Processing History (Greenwood Press, 1990).