“I started programming computers in the late 1970s, before Windows but after ENIAC. ‘Geniuses at War,’ subtitled ‘Bletchley Park, Colossus, and the Dawn of the Digital Age,’ by David A. Price, tells the story of amazing men who invested their time and talents and developed a machine to help them decode the codes used by the Germans in World War II. Prior to this, many people worked many hours and days to decode the intercepted German messages, but as the planning for the Normandy invasion neared, Britain made decoding the Nazi communications a top priority. Alan Turing brought in many talented people to work on this project, including Tommy Flowers. Flowers devised a plan to develop a machine to break the code in nearly record time. Colossus, the world’s first digital electronic computer, was developed and helped bring about an Allied Victory. David A. Price used recently declassified sources to bring this incredible story to print.

“Considering that most of us today casually use computers, smart phones and the like on a daily basis, learning about the amazing unfolding of the digital age makes for a gripping and wonderful read.” — JOAN STEINBERG, Scarborough

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Mainers, please email to tell us about the book on your bedside table right now. In a few sentences, describe the book and be sure to tell us what drew you to it. With the path of the pandemic again uncertain, we especially want to hear what you are reading in these unsettled times and why. Send your selection to pgrodinsky@pressherald.com, and we may use it as a future Bedside Table.

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