Alan M. Turing
Centenary Edition

Containing never-before-published material, this fascinating account sheds new light on one of the greatest figures of the twentieth century.

Sara Turing (Author), Martin Davis (Foreword by), Lyn Irvine (Foreword by), John Turing (Afterword by)

9781107020580, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 22 March 2012

194 pages, 7 b/w illus.
21.6 x 14 x 1.4 cm, 0.37 kg

'… the readers of the new edition can benefit from a previously unpublished memoir by Alan's older brother John, as well as a new foreword by Martin Davis; both texts provide a different view of Alan Turing, and represent a nice complement to the main part of the book.' Antonin Slavik, Zentralblatt MATH

'In a short life he accomplished much, and to the roll of great names in the history of his particular studies added his own.' So is described one of the greatest figures of the twentieth century, yet Alan Turing's name was not widely recognised until his contribution to the breaking of the German Enigma code became public in the 1970s. The story of Turing's life fascinates and in the years since his suicide, Turing's reputation has only grown, as his contributions to logic, mathematics, computing, artificial intelligence and computational biology have become better appreciated. To commemorate the centenary of Turing's birth, this republication of his mother's biography is enriched by a new foreword by Martin Davis and a never-before-published memoir by Alan's older brother. The contrast between this memoir and the original biography reveals tensions and sheds new light on Turing's relationship with his family, and on the man himself.

Foreword to the Centenary Edition Martin Davis
Preface to the First Edition
Foreword to the First Edition Lyn Irvine
Preface
Part I. Mainly Biographical: 1. Family background
2. Childhood and early boyhood
3. At Sherborne school
4. At Cambridge
5. At the Graduate College, Princeton
6. Some characteristics
7. War work in the Foreign Office
8. At the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington
9. Work with the Manchester Automatic Digital Machine
10. Broadcasts and intelligent machinery
11. Morphogenesis
12. Relaxation
13. Last days and some tributes
Part II. Containing Computing Machinery and Morphogenesis: 14. Computing machinery
15. Chemical theory of morphogenesis considered
My brother Alan John Turing
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Information technology: general issues [UB], History of science [PDX], Mathematical logic [PBCD], Military history [HBW], Coding theory & cryptology [GPJ], Second World War fiction [FJMS], Biography: science, technology & medicine [BGT]