James Essinger 2014. Ada’s Algorithm. London: Melville House, 254 pp.

Somewhat interesting but doesn’t do justice to his subject. Byron and Babbage take up much of the book, with a what seems like a cameo appearance by Ada Lovelace towards the end. Perhaps there just isn’t enough origonal material about Ada? James Essinger knows a lot about his subject and clearly is a big admirer, but this turns into a style that I didn’t warm to. Overly familiar maybe? I’ll be reading elsewhere to learn more about Ada herself and the detail of her seminal contribution to programming.