Items related to The Backroom Boys: The Secret Return of the British...
The Backroom Boys: The Secret Return of the British Boffin by Spufford, Francis (2003) Hardcover - Hardcover
Synopsis
Britain is the only country in the world to have cancelled its space programme just as it put its first rocket into orbit. Starting with this forgotten episode, this text tells the bitter-sweet story of how one country lost its industrial tradition and got something back. Sad, inspiring, funny and ultimately triumphant, it follows the technologists whose work kept Concorde flying, created the computer game, conquered the mobile-phone business, saved the human genome for the human race and who are now sending the Beagle 2 probe to burrow the cinnamon sands of Mars.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Francis Spufford, a former Sunday Times Young Writer o f the Year (1977), has edited two acclaimed literary anthologies and a collection of essays on the history of technology. His first book, I May Be Some Time: Ice and the English Imagination, was awarded the Writers Guild Award for Best Non-Fiction Book of 1996 and a Somerset Maugham Award, and also inspired a Frankfurt Ballet production and a clown show at the Edinburgh Festival 2001. He lives in Camberwell, London.
Review
Described in the blurb as 'a vivid love-letter to quiet men in pullovers', this is a fascinating account of those ingenious engineers who invented the technologies of the future, often on a shoestring budget. It opens with the arrival of the first V2 noted by the British Interplanetary Society in a London pub, and we soon read of a surreal meeting between Arthur C Clark, the famous science-fiction writer, and C S Lewis. We learn how Britain cancelled its space program and how Ernest Benn was a good friend to Concorde. The story covers other technologies such as computer games, mobile telephones and mind-boggling efforts with the human genome. It makes for compulsive reading and is the sort of book only British endeavours could produce. It deserves to sell and sell.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherFaber and Faber
- Publication date2003
- ISBN 10 0571214967
- ISBN 13 9780571214969
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages256
- Rating
Buy New
Learn more about this copy
US$ 54.36
Shipping:
US$ 3.50
Within U.S.A.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Seller Image
Backroom Boys
Seller: WeBuyBooks, Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A tan to the pages. Seller Inventory # wbb0022717857
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Backroom Boys
Published by
Faber & Faber, United Kingdom, London, 2003
ISBN 10: 0571214967
ISBN 13: 9780571214969
Used
Paperback
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Britain is the only country in the world to have cancelled its space programme just as it put its first rocket into orbit. Starting with this forgotten episode, this text tells the bitter-sweet story of how one country lost its industrial tradition and got something back. Sad, inspiring, funny and ultimately triumphant, it follows the technologists whose work kept Concorde flying, created the computer game, conquered the mobile-phone business, saved the human genome for the human race and who are now sending the Beagle 2 probe to burrow the cinnamon sands of Mars. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR002758570
Quantity: 5 available
Stock Image
The Backroom Boys: The Secret Return of the British Boffin
Seller: Goldstone Books, Llandybie, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. All orders are dispatched within one working day from our UK warehouse. We've been selling books online since 2004! We have over 750,000 books in stock. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied. Seller Inventory # mon0004482676
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Backroom Boys: The Secret Return of the British Boffin
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.9. Seller Inventory # G0571214967I4N00
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Backroom Boys: The Secret Return of the British Boffin by Spufford, Francis (2003) Hardcover
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00068365662
Quantity: 4 available
Stock Image
The Backroom Boys: The Secret Return of the British Boffin by Spufford, Francis (2003) Hardcover
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Acceptable. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00068260014
Quantity: 2 available
Stock Image
The Backroom Boys: The Secret Return of the British Boffin by Spufford, Francis (2003) Hardcover
Seller: Books Unplugged, Amherst, NY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Fair. Buy with confidence! Book is in acceptable condition with wear to the pages, binding, and some marks within 0.88. Seller Inventory # bk0571214967xvz189zvxacp
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Backroom Boys: The Secret Return of the British Boffin by Spufford, Francis (2003) Hardcover
Seller: Book Deals, Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Good condition. This is the average used book, that has all pages or leaves present, but may include writing. Book may be ex-library with stamps and stickers. 0.88. Seller Inventory # 353-0571214967-gdd
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Backroom Boys The Secret Return of the British Boffin
Seller: Harry Alter, Sylva, NC, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
hardcover, Condition: Good, Faber & Faber, London, c.2003, 1st., 8vo., hardcover, 250pp., cocked, G $. Seller Inventory # 92678
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Backroom Boys
Seller: Better World Books Ltd, Dunfermline, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. Ships from the UK. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 11346334-6
Quantity: 1 available