A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age

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(as of Aug 15, 2025 08:02:19 UTC – Details)


Winner of the Neumann Prize for the History of Mathematics
“We owe Claude Shannon a lot, and Soni & Goodman’s book takes a big first step in paying that debt.” —San Francisco Review of Books
“Soni and Goodman are at their best when they invoke the wonder an idea can instill. They summon the right level of awe while stopping short of hyperbole.” —Financial Times
“Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman make a convincing case for their subtitle while reminding us that Shannon never made this claim himself.” —The Wall Street Journal
“A charming account of one of the twentieth century’s most distinguished scientists…Readers will enjoy this portrait of a modern-day Da Vinci.” —Fortune
In their second collaboration, biographers Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman present the story of Claude Shannon—one of the foremost intellects of the twentieth century and the architect of the Information Age, whose insights stand behind every computer built, email sent, video streamed, and webpage loaded. Claude Shannon was a groundbreaking polymath, a brilliant tinkerer, and a digital pioneer. He constructed the first wearable computer, outfoxed Vegas casinos, and built juggling robots. He also wrote the seminal text of the digital revolution, which has been called “the Magna Carta of the Information Age.” In this elegantly written, exhaustively researched biography, Soni and Goodman reveal Claude Shannon’s full story for the first time. With unique access to Shannon’s family and friends, A Mind at Play brings this singular innovator and always playful genius to life.
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 17, 2018
Edition ‏ : ‎ Unabridged
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 147676669X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1476766690
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.38 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #77,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #4 in Information Theory #42 in History of Technology #110 in Scientist Biographies
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