Alan Turing

by David Boyle Book 1 in the Geniuses series.

First published 2014

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3.7(2,484)

David Boyle’s short biography follows Alan Turing from his early mathematical work through his decisive wartime contribution at Bletchley Park and his later thinking about computing and artificial intelligence. It explains why Turing’s theoretical work on computation mattered and how his cryptanalytic methods helped turn German Enigma traffic into usable Allied intelligence.

The book also considers Turing’s personality, private life and prosecution for homosexual acts in 1952, which led to state-imposed hormonal treatment and preceded his death in 1954. Boyle presents Turing as both a foundational figure in modern computing and a man whose wartime service remained secret while the law treated his sexuality as a criminal offence.