Computers!

[andrewducker]

Not sure who posted this originally, but the 1971 and 1979 Ladybird editions of "How Computers Work" is here. Interesting to see what's changed (and what the views of computers were back then).

Comments

[communicator.livejournal.com]

You might like this which I got from 'boing boing' blog.

http://sun3.lib.uci.edu/~jsisson/john.htm

Excerpts from books for kids about space travel from the 1950s and 1960s. I thought they were cool.

[biscuitware.livejournal.com]

I have the 1979 reprint on my bookshelf !

[the-gardener.livejournal.com]

It's also interesting to see how gendered the roles of computer users are in the illustrations, for both editions. By and large, the women sit and type things; the men stand and do things: action figures to their more passive consorts. That might have been true in 1971; but I'd have expected less of such a visible division of labour in 1979. (Although of course both sets of illustrations, viewed from the gender perspective, look strange to modern eyes.)

[opusfluke.livejournal.com]

So okay, I posted it but a_pawson a.k.a. Dr. Evil e-mailed me the link first so take it up with him!