THE INFORMATION A History, a Theory, a Flood

James Gleick provides a chronicle of the history of information, which he views as the most pivotal aspect of the human condition. Biographical sketches of key figures such as Samuel Morse, the creator of Morse Code, are included. Narrator Rob Shapiro’s friendly, resonant tones are well suited to the material. However, his dynamic performance does little to enhance or make more approachable the academic and scientific arguments and frameworks presented. Discussions of the communication roles of African drums, the telegraph, the telephone, transistors, television, and the flood of bits and bytes in the computer age lead to the listener’s growing awareness that there is limitless growth in our capacity to store and use information. While this idea and the evidence that supports it are fascinating theoretically, neither Gleick nor Shapiro makes this book an absorbing listen. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2011]