New Taschen book ‘The Computer’ is a monumental survey
‘The Computer’ from Taschen is a richly illustrated history of society’s ever-evolving relationship with the silicon chip
Taschen delves into the rich visual history of the computer with this new XL-scale book, edited by graphic designers and historians Jens Müller and Julius Wiedemann. Casting its net back into the pre-digital age, The Computer explores the mechanical precursors to the modern age, from the calculating machines of Babbage and Lovelace to even earlier counting and computing devices.
Taschen’s The Computer: a monumental new book
Where this book shines is in its presentation of archive images and vivid modern photography of some of the literal colossi of early computer design, in all their room-filling, reel-to-reel button-festooned glory. These sumptuous spreads are paired with intriguing illustrated sidetracks into the advertising, media coverage, science fiction visions and speculative research of each era.
Backing all this up is an ongoing glossary of the language of computing, alongside profiles of the pioneering men and women – and major corporate players – that shaped this multi-billion dollar industry that is increasingly at the beating heart of every aspect of society.
It’s a titanic piece of work, presented in Taschen’s trademark trilingual style, and the threads of our silicon-driven social anxiety are also fully represented, as newspapers and magazines laid bare concerns about automation, robotisation, and, from a surprisingly long time ago, the impact of artificial intelligence.
This is a book about hardware and software, silicon and society. As circuit boards shrank and the PC age dawned, communications and entertainment brought computers into every home and, eventually, pocket. The retro vibes get stronger and stronger as the book takes us through the ever-evolving form of the personal computer, its ever-improving graphical capabilities and its tentacular creep into every facet of our daily lives.
The arrival of the internet, Wifi, industrial robotics, gaming consoles, mobile phones, drones, robots, online porn, Apple, Google, the Smart Home, social media, Wikipedia and the inexorable rise and problematic prominence of dotcom billionaires leads to a final chapter. This is what the editors call the ‘All-Digital Age’, where we live in a cloud and computation handles a billion unseen processes to help our lives run the way they do.
The final entry is on quantum computing, the devices that will liberate computers from their current binary existence and open up new worlds. Based on the 450-plus pages that precede it, our collective minds will inevitably deploy this vastly more powerful technology to conjure up things we can’t currently imagine, for better and for worse.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
The Computer: A history from the 17th Century to Today, edited by Jens Müller and Julius Wiedemann, £60, Taschen, Taschen.com
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Discothèque perfumes evoke the scent of Tokyo in the year 2000
As Discothèque gets ready to launch its first perfume collection, Mary Cleary catches up with the brand’s founders
By Mary Cleary Published
-
This unassuming London house is a radical rethinking of the suburban home
Station Lodge by architect Andrei Saltykov in South West London offers a radical subversion to regional residential architecture
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Explore 100 years of Svenskt Tenn and the interiors Estrid Ericson has crafted
‘A Philosophy of Home’ explores 100 years of Svenskt Tenn and the daring vision for interiors its founder Estrid Ericson developed
By Diana Budds Published
-
‘Audio Erotica’ charts home audio through promotional graphics and imagery
‘Audio Erotica: Hi-Fi Brochures 1950s-1980s’ is a playful survey of three decades’ worth of design for listening
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Deyan Sudjic’s new book explores the appeal of analogue technology
‘Analogue: A Field Guide’ by Deyan Sudjic delves into the design history of hundreds of iconic pieces of personal tech
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
‘Apparatrum’ is a book exploring the craft of synthesist and inventor Love Hultén
‘Apparatrum’ charts the life and work of Swedish craftsman Love Hultén – you’ll have to move fast to secure the limited-edition version
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
‘Soft Electronics’: this polychromatic old consumer tech will blow you away
Vintage electronics and obsolete appliances are explored in all their curvy, colourful and quirky glory in a new book, Soft Electronics, by Dutch designer Jaro Gielens
By Jonathan Bell Last updated
-
Key design innovations in the new Apple Watch, iPhone, and MacBook Pro
Apple’s latest round of innovations delivers a wealth of fingertip functionality – here’s what to expect from the Apple Watch 7, iPhone 13 Pro, and MacBook Pro
By Nick Compton Last updated
-
New books: how designers see the world
Our round-up of new books spans James Dyson on his hits and misses, Stephen Bayley on the combustion age, an exploration of vintage synthesisers, and an axe lover’s handbook
By Jonathan Bell Last updated
-
Supercharge your productivity with Microsoft Surface Book 3
Microsoft's laptop-tablet hybrid combines the full power of a laptop with the detachable portability of a tablet
By Jonathan Bell Last updated
-
Space out: a history of NASA’s graphic design
‘The Worm’ is a showcase of NASA's iconic logos – from the original 1974 manual, all the way to up to its eventual banishment in the early 1990s
By Jonathan Bell Last updated