Eniac: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the World's First Computer

A staff writer for the Wall Street Journal , McCartney wades into the controversy over who is responsible for the very first electronic computer. He awards the honor to John Marchly and Presper Eckert, who met in 1941 and were soon funded by the US government to help with the war effort. They christened their behemoth the Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer. He draws from newly uncovered documents, original interviews with surviving participants, and Mauchly and Echert's personal papers. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Scott McCartney is a staff writer for the Wall Street Journal. He is the author of Defying the Gods: Inside the New Frontiers of Organ Transplants and coauthor of Trinity's Children: Living Along America's Nuclear Highway. He lives in Dallas, Texas.