Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?

#1

Post by bawis » Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 5:21 PM UTC

I like the anecdotes and interesting lives of 20th century mathematicians/computer scientist, suggest me please your favourite history book about them.

Re: Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?

#2

Post by bigyabai » Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 5:22 PM UTC

Summa Technologiae

Re: Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?

#3

Post by golly_ned » Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 6:26 PM UTC

Turing's cathedral, on the invention and development of the earliest digital computers just before, during, and after WWII. Lots of excellent detail, descriptions of the personalities and relationships of many interesting people, like von Neumann.

Re: Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?

#4

Post by rochansinha » Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 7:14 PM UTC

The Maniac, by Benjamin Labatut. It’s a fictionalised biography of John von Nuemann and the birth of artificial intelligence. Amazing , surreal and unique

Re: Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?

#5

Post by andyjohnson0 » Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 7:32 PM UTC

The Dream Machine by M. Mitchell Waldrop

Re: Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?

#6

Post by SoleilAbsolu » Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 7:41 PM UTC

Richard Hamming's "The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn" is an insider's (Manhattan Project, Bell Labs) view of how computer science as we know it developed.

Re: Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?

#7

Post by leobg » Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 7:54 PM UTC

The Faber Book of Science (Carey) Asimov’s New Guide to Science (Asimov) The Great Influenza (Barry)

Re: Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?

#8

Post by pmdulaney » Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 9:21 PM UTC

rochansinha wrote: post #4

The Maniac, by Benjamin Labatut. It’s a fictionalised biography of John von Nuemann and the birth of artificial intelligence. Amazing , surreal and unique

How creative to think of writing such a thing! But von Meumann is a big enough intellect and personality to sustain it.

Re: Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?

#9

Post by ahazred8ta » Mon, Jul 20, 2026, 10:02 PM UTC

James Burke's book version of 'Connections' https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55024.Connections

Also Douglas Coupland's 'Microserfs', described as "Here's a guy who seems to have spent a week with engineers and effortlessly absorbed everything that is important about engineering culture, everything that matters about working at a big company, and everything that matters about working at a startup." https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2748.Microserfs

Re: Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?

#10

Post by kamphey » Tue, Jul 21, 2026, 12:35 AM UTC

Might sound silly but I LOVE: Stephen Biesty's Incredible Cross-Sections. They single handedly made me interested in how things were made, how things were on the inside. How things were engineered.