"A fascinating compendium of information about writing systems?both for words and numbers." ?Publishers Weekly "A truly enlightening and fascinating study for the mathematically oriented reader." ?Booklist "Well researched. . . . This book is a rich resource for those involved in researching the history of computers." ?The Mathematics Teacher In this brilliant follow-up to his landmark international bestseller, The Universal History of Numbers, Georges Ifrah traces the development of computing from the invention of the abacus to the creation of the binary system three centuries ago to the incredible conceptual, scientific, and technical achievements that made the first modern computers possible. Ifrah takes us along as he visits mathematicians, visionaries, philosophers, and scholars from every corner of the world and every period of history. We learn about the births of the pocket calculator, the adding machine, the cash...