The Soul of a New Machine

WinnerofthePulitzerPrizeandtheAmericanBookAward,TheSoulofaNewMachinewasabestselleronitsfirstpublicationin1981.Withthetouchofanexpertthrillerwriter,TracyKidderrecountsthefeverisheffortsofateamofDataGeneralresearcherstocreateanew32-bitsuperminicomputer.Acompellingaccountofindividualsacrificeandhumaningenuity,TheSoulofaNewMachineenduresastheclassicchronicleofthecomputerageandthemastermindsbehinditstechnologicaladvances."Asuperbbook,"saidRobertPirsig,authorofZenandtheArtofMotorcycleMaintenance."Alltheincrediblecomplexityandchaosandexploitationandlonelinessandstrange,half-madbeautyofthisfieldarehonestlyandcorrectlydrawn."TheWashingtonPostBookWorldsaid,"Kidderhascreatedcompellingentertainment.Heoffersafast,painless,enjoyablemeanstoaninitialunderstandingofcomputers,allowingustounderstandthecomplexityofmachineswecouldonlymarvelatbefore,andtoappreciatetheskillsofthepeoplewhocreatethem."TheModernLibraryhasplayedasignificantroleinAmericanculturallifeforthebetterpartofacentury.Theserieswasfoundedin1917bythepublishersBoniandLiverightandeightyearslateracquiredbyBennettCerfandDonaldKlopfer.Itprovidedthefoundationfortheirnextpublishingventure,RandomHouse.TheModernLibraryhasbeenastapleoftheAmericanbooktrade,providingreaderswithaffordablehardboundeditionsofimportantworksofliteratureandthought.FortheModernLibrary'sseventy-fifthanniversary,RandomHouseredesignedtheseries,restoringasitsemblemtherunningtorch-bearercreatedbyLucianBernhardin1925andrefurbishingjackets,bindings,andtype,aswellasinauguratinganewprogramofselectingtitles.TheModernLibrarycontinuestoprovidetheworld'sbestbooks,atthebestprices.TracyKidderhaswrittenanewIntroductiontothisModernLibraryedition.