Even by 1800s standards, Ada Byron Lovelace had an unusual upbringing. Her narcissistic mother worked hard at cultivating her own role as martyred ex-wife of bad-boy poet Lord Byron and had Ada tutored at home by some of the brightest minds. Ada developed a hunger for mental puzzles, mathematical conundrums, and scientific discovery that kept pace with the breathtaking advances of the industrial and social revolutions taking place in Europe. At seventeen, Ada met inventor Charles Babbage. In spite of the difference of their years, they were kindred spirits and intellects. Their ensuing collaborations would ultimately result in ideas that presaged computer programming by a century. Ada Lovelace is today recognized and celebrated as a pioneer and a prophet of the information age.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 154-157) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:
1816-1824. Born into scandal ; Mother and child with governesses ; She has a father -- 1825-1832. Her imagination soars ; Guarded by furies ; An elopement -- 1833-1835. Meeting Babbage ; A role model ; Courtship and marriage -- 1836-1842. Motherhood ; Grasping for mathematics ; The new engine ; A restless student -- 1842-1852. Masterwork ; At loose ends ; Restless spirit ; An awful death.
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