A Computer Called LEO - Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer (Paperback, New ed)

Until a man named John Simmons saw the potential of computers for undertaking some of the huge amount of clerical operations performed by Lyons's staff, they were almost exclusively used for solving complex mathematical and scientific problems. This is the story of Simmons's attempts to build a computer that would be suitable for business use, and of the talented and visionary staff he attracted to work with him. The title of this book does not even begin to do justice to its enormous breadth of scope: Ferry's book touches on such diverse topics as social history, business management techniques and scientific discovery, and it makes fascinating reading. As in her previous books (Dorothy Hodgkin: A Life and The Common Thread), while Ferry's primary focus is on scientific discoveries, she is equally interested in the pioneers themselves. Her admiration and affection for the people she is writing about shine out of the pages, and this makes a book on what appears a quite unprepossessing subject a truly enjoyable read. It is also a timely reminder, as we become more and more reliant on computers, that only 50 years ago they were a room-sized novelty. (Kirkus UK)

The eccentric story of one of the most bizarre marriages in the history of British business: the invention of the world's first office computer and the Lyons Teashop. The Lyons teashops were one of the great British institutions, providing a cup of tea and a penny bun through the depression and the war, though to the 1970s. Yet Lyons also has a more surprising claim to history. In the 1930s John Simmons, a young maths graduate in charge of the clerks' offices, had a dream: to build a machine that would automate the millions of tedious transactions and process them in as little time as possible. Simmons' quest for the first office computer - the Lyons Electronic Office - would take 20 years and involve some of the most brilliant young minds in Britain. Interwoven with the story of creating LEO is the story of early computing, from the Difference Engine of Charles Babbage to the codecracking computers at Bletchley Park and the instantly obsolescent ENIAC in the US. It is also the story of post war British computer business: why did it lose the initiative? Why did the US succeed while British design was often superior?

General

Imprint:	HarperPerennial
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	August 2004
First published:	August 2004
Authors:	Georgina Ferry
Dimensions:	198 x 129 x 15mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - B-format
Pages:	256
Edition:	New ed
ISBN-13:	978-1-84115-186-1
Categories:	Books > Professional & Technical > Technology: general issues > History of engineering & technology Books > Computing & IT > Computer hardware & operating systems > General Promotions
LSN:	1-84115-186-6
Barcode:	9781841151861

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