Details
Synopsis
"The Turk," an automated, wooden, chess-playing man built in 1770 to impress Empress Maria Theresa, challenged many a player, including Ben Franklin and Napoleon, who both lost to the machine. This study explores the mechanical device and the ingenuity of Wolfgang von Kempelen, the man behind it.
| Size | | Length: | 272 pages | | Height: | 8.0 in | | Width: | 5.8 in | | Thickness: | 1.2 in | | Weight: | 15.2 oz |
Industry Reviews
"Good fun, and a gentle reminder that science and showbiz have been happy partners for a long time."
Kirkus Reviews (02/15/2002)
"[Standage] has found a subject that is not only fascinating, but which also resonates with contemporary issues."
Guardian (London) - Simon Singh (04/21/2002)
"THE TURK opens a fascinating window onto the emerging culture of technophilia, to the early days of mechanical engineering, the intricacies of chess and the mania for mechanical toys (akin to our craze for cell phones and PalmPilots) that seized the European public's imagination in the last years of the 18th Century and the early decades of the 19th. Truly, it was the era of the automaton: Standage regales his readers with bizarre instances of talking ducks made from metal and rubber tubing and mechanical elephants 'encrusted with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and pearls.'...THE TURK is a gem of a book."
Chicago Review - Matthew Price (04/22/2002)
"[A]n engaging book....A spirited and enjoyable book, THE TURK leads one to wonder what might come next - HAL 10000 or the Turk Version 2020?"
Philadelphia Inquirer - Ed Voves (05/12/2002)
"THE TURK...is an amazing book. It is entertaining, yet it is not what it seems. It can be enjoyed with blindfold or without...I raced through THE TURK, even reading bits in checkout lines....Standage is a terrific writer. How can one not recommend such a book?"
New York Times Book Review - Dick Teresi (06/02/2002)
|
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
All rights reserved.
