A New History of Modern Computing

Haigh and Ceruzzi rebuilt the classic "History of Modern Computing" from the ground up rather than simply appending new chapters. The result is better organized, more attentive to the global dimensions of computing history, and extended through the smartphone, cloud computing, and the platform economy. Haigh, a historian of information technology with a particular interest in the social construction of technical categories, brings a sharper analytical framework than the earlier Ceruzzi-only edition. The book treats computing not as a single thread of invention but as a convergence of business machines, communication systems, scientific instruments, and consumer electronics, each with its own institutional logic. It is the most comprehensive single-volume academic survey currently available, covering hardware, software, networking, and the organizational contexts in which all three evolved. Where the original was a narrative, this is closer to an argument about how to periodize and interpret the history of a technology that resists simple chronology.