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Alan Turing: The Enigma
- Narrated by: Gordon Griffin
- Length: 30 hrs and 40 mins
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Alan Turing: The Enigma
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Summary
Listed as one of the essential 50 books of all time in The Guardian
Inspired the Academy Award-nominated film, The Imitation Game
It’s only a slight exaggeration to say that the British mathematician Alan Turing (1912-1954) saved the Allies from the Nazis, invented the computer and artificial intelligence, and anticipated gay liberation by decades--all before his suicide at age forty-one. This classic biography of the founder of computer science, reissued on the centenary of his birth with a substantial new preface by the author, is the definitive account of an extraordinary mind and life.
A gripping story of mathematics, computers, cryptography, and homosexual persecution, Andrew Hodges's acclaimed book captures both the inner and outer drama of Turing's life.Hodges tells how Turing's revolutionary idea of 1936--the concept of a universal machine--laid the foundation for the modern computer and how Turing brought the idea to practical realization in 1945 with his electronic design. The book also tells how this work was directly related to Turing's leading role in breaking the German Enigma ciphers during World War II, a scientific triumph that was critical to Allied victory in the Atlantic. At the same time, this is the tragic story of a man who, despite his wartime service, was eventually arrested, stripped of his security clearance, and forced to undergo a humiliating treatment program--all for trying to live honestly in a society that defined homosexuality as a crime.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Dennis G.
- 14-02-15
Turing an enigma.
Great story superbly read. My only criticism is that the writer could have reduced its length by half without loss of quality.
Then I would have had to give it 5 stars.
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11 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- donnchak
- 01-06-18
An excellent account of the life of Alan Turing.
Huge detail, 40 hours, baffling at times. A very well read and highly entertaining book.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- SnaxMuppet
- 15-03-16
Very long winded but worth the effort
Very wordy and detailed covering more than I expect in a biography. A lot of assumption and interpretation. I enjoyed it but it was hard work at times.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mary Carnegie
- 04-09-16
Soporific narration
The narrator has a very boring voice and I suspect he doesn't understand or care about what he's reading, and sometimes his pronunciation of names is way off - Auchinleck's not that hard to say, the "ch" isn't like in "chair"! (I do wonder sometimes if anyone on production ever listens to what's being published, or if readers ever rehearse/preview or check words they don't know!)
There is, of course, a great deal of technical detail, which can be speeded up if you only want the gist, but IMHO, this will be the definitive biography of Turing, who certainly merits a full account of a life mainly in the shadows, which has, paradoxically, influenced his century and ours to an extraordinary extent.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 25-02-18
excellent book
one of the best books I've read/listened to. I would strongly recommend to anyone. a must read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mj
- 17-07-22
what a fantastic tribute to a phenomenal man
this is a very lengthy book but well worth the time investment. it is a fantastic tribute to this man who is inspirational in many ways. such a shame that his hard work was not recognised until long after the events.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Simon, Oxford
- 12-04-15
If you enjoyed the film
As so often the book explores what Alan Turing's life meant so much more deeply than the film made in 2014. It also provides great insight into how British life changed during the first half of the twentieth century and allows us to see how society has developed in the last 60 years.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stanley
- 29-04-18
a very compelling and calming story
The narration complimented the time in which this true story is set perfectly. The mathematical references where in the main understandable but in any event did not interfere with the compelling nature of this very human story. Well written and very
well read. I enjoyed it a lot.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- RFJ
- 31-08-18
Forget the Film
I admit I bought this because I loved the film The Imitation Game. Was I disappointed in this book NO. I am disappointed in the film after listening to the book. The film is a "fairy tale" which took bits of the novel and added bits to it to make a film, instead of telling the real story of Alan Turing. I am 56 years of age and I was close to tears a few times. This book does justice to Turing, the film doesn't
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 31-01-18
Tragic, yet terrific.
A must listen. An exceptional work that conveys the essence of what Turing must have been like, discussing his successes at his best and his trials in his most difficult years. The author had paid special care to cast the setting in a spectacularly insight way.
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