"The 25th Anniversary Edition of this iconic memoir of a female computer programmer that unflinchingly explores the intersections of technology and life"--
This 25th Anniversary Edition of Close to the Machine, featuring a new introduction by Anna Wiener, author of Uncanny Valley, resurfaces Ellen Ullmans astonishing account of computing and the ways it shapes our very existence.
A Salon Best Book of the Year
In 1997, the computer was still a relatively new toola sleek and unforgiving machine that was beyond the grasp of most users. With intimate and unflinching detail, the software engineer Ellen Ullman examines the strange ecstasy of being at the forefront of the predominantly male technological revolution, and the difficulty of translating the inherent messiness of human life into artful and efficient code.
Close to the Machine is an elegant and revelatory meditation on the dawn of the digital era.
There are no crazed hackers here; no zen-master software moguls; no media stereotypes; just a wonderfully written book about Ullmans days and nights at the heart of the new machine. I recommend it with unfettered enthusiasm.San Francisco Chronicle
