`An audacious book which offers remarkable insight. Gleick takes us, with verve and fizz, on a journey from African drums to computers, liberally sprinkling delightful factoids along the way. This is a book we need to give us a fresh perspective on how we communicate and how that shapes our world.' The Royal Society Winton Prize Judges ... Read more `Mind-stretching but enlightening ... the power and breadth of the ideas involved cannot but make you marvel.' Daily Mail `Magisterial...It is not merely a history of information, but also a theory and a prospectus. To describe it as ambitious is to engage in almost comical understatement.' Matthew Syed, The Times `A deeply impressive and rather beautiful book.' Philip Ball, Observer `The fascinating story of how humans have transmitted knowledge...broad and occasionally brilliant.' Sunday Times `This is a work of rare penetration, a true history of ideas whose witty and determined treatment of its material brings clarity to a complex subject.' Tim Martin, Daily Telegraph Show Less