{"title":"Tom Standage Books","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrowse the books by Tom Standage we have in stock, second-hand, in paperback and hardback. Mostly non-fiction and society. Every book ships from our own UK warehouse. Free UK delivery on orders of £10 or more.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"writing-on-the-wall-social-media-the-first-2-000-years","title":"Writing on the Wall: Social Media - The First 2,000 Years","description":"\u003cp\u003ePapyrus rolls and Twitter have much in common, as each was their generation's signature means of �instant� communication. Indeed, as Tom Standage reveals in his scintillating new book, social media is anything but a new phenomenon. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the papyrus letters that Roman statesmen used to exchange news across the Empire to the advent of hand-printed tracts of the Reformation to the pamphlets that spread propaganda during the American and French revolutions, Standage chronicles the increasingly sophisticated ways people shared information with each other, spontaneously and organically, down the centuries. With the rise of newspapers in the nineteenth century, then radio and television, �mass media� consolidated control of information in the hands of a few moguls. However, the Internet has brought information sharing full circle, and the spreading of news along social networks has reemerged in powerful new ways.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA fresh, provocative exploration of social media over two millennia, \u003ci\u003eWriting on the Wall\u003c\/i\u003e reminds us how modern behavior echoes that of prior centuries-the Catholic Church, for example, faced similar dilemmas in deciding whether or how to respond to Martin Luther's attacks in the early sixteenth century to those that large institutions confront today in responding to public criticism on the Internet. Invoking the likes of Thomas Paine and Vinton Cerf, co-inventor of the Internet, Standage explores themes that have long been debated: the tension between freedom of expression and censorship; whether social media trivializes, coarsens or enhances public discourse; and its role in spurring innovation, enabling self-promotion, and fomenting revolution. As engaging as it is visionary, \u003ci\u003eWriting on the Wall\u003c\/i\u003e draws on history to cast new light on today's social media and encourages debate and discussion about how we'll communicate in the future.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/tom-standage-books\"\u003eTom Standage\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 278\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Bloomsbury Publishing USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9781620402832\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing USA","offers":[{"title":"Standard Secondhand — £23.47","offer_id":47901520625841,"sku":"SB-1620402831-C3","price":23.47,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/1620402831.jpg?v=1788844123"},{"product_id":"the-turk-the-life-and-times-of-the-famous-18th-century-chess-playing-machine","title":"The Turk: The Life and Times of the Famous 18th Century Chess Playing Machine","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn an autumn day in 1769, a Hungarian nobleman named Wolfgang von Kempelen attended a conjuring show at the court of Maria Theresa, empress of Austria-Hungary. So unimpressed was Kempelen by the performance that he declared he could do better himself. Maria Theresa held him to his word and gave him six months to prepare a show of his own. Kempelen did not disappoint; he returned to the court the following spring with a mechanical man, fashioned from wood, powered by clockwork, dressed in a stylish Turkish costume—and capable of playing chess. The Turk, as this contraption became known, was an instant success, and Tom Standage’s book chronicles its illustrious career in Europe and America over the next eighty five years. Associated over time with a host of historical figures, including Benjamin Franklin, Catherine the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Charles Babbage, and Edgar Allan Poe, Kempelen’s creation unwittingly also helped to inspire the development of the power loom, the computer, and the detective story. Everywhere it went, the Turk baffled spectators and provoked frenzied speculation about whether a machine could really think. Many rival theories were published, but they served only to undermine each other. \u003cbr\u003ePart historical detective story, part biography, \u003ci\u003eThe Turk\u003c\/i\u003e relates the saga of the machine’s remarkable and checkered career against the backdrop of the industrial revolution, as mechanical technology opened up dramatic new possibilities and the relationship between people and machines was being redefined. Today, in the midst of the computer age, it has assumed a new significance, as scientists and philosophers continue to debate the possibility of machine intelligence. To modern eyes, the Turk now seems to have been a surprisingly farsighted invention, and its saga is a colorful and important part of the history of technology.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/tom-standage-books\"\u003eTom Standage\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2002\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Walker\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780802713919\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Walker","offers":[{"title":"Poor Condition — £7.80","offer_id":47914317349041,"sku":"SB-0802713912-C4","price":7.8,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/0802713912.jpg?v=1789249507"},{"product_id":"go-figure-things-you-didn-t-know-you-didn-t-know-the-economist-explains","title":"GO FIGURE: Things you didn’t know you didn’t know: The Economist Explains","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhich James Bond drinks the most martinis? What do Satanists really believe?How do hurricanes get their names?Why are bees disappearing?Is chocolate healthy'...Go Figure has the answers. Bringing together the very best from the clever people at The Economist, Go Figure explains the mind-boggling, the peculiar and the profound, things you might always have quietly wondered about and yet more you didn't know you didn't know.Figure out why so many Koreans are called Kim, how bitcoin mining works, why eating insects makes sense and how to get ahead under a dictator - a treat for the knowing, the uninitiated and the downright curious.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/tom-standage-books\"\u003eTom Standage\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 256\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Profile Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9781781256251\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Profile Books","offers":[{"title":"Very Good — £1.50","offer_id":47916897861809,"sku":"SB-178125625X-C2","price":1.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Standard Secondhand — £1.00","offer_id":47916897894577,"sku":"SB-178125625X-C3","price":1.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/178125625X.jpg?v=1789613901"},{"product_id":"seriously-curious-109-facts-and-figures-to-turn-your-world-upside-down","title":"Seriously Curious: 109 facts and figures to turn your world upside down","description":"\u003cp\u003eSmart, savvy answers to universal questions, from the highly popular The Economist Explains and Daily Chart blogs-a treat for the knowing, the uninitiated, and the downright curious. Seriously Curious: The Facts and Figures that Turn Our World Upside Down brings together the very best explainers and charts, written and created by top journalists to help us understand such brain-bending conundrums as why Swedes overpay their taxes, why America still allows child marriage, and what the link is between avocados and crime. Subjects both topical and timeless, profound and peculiar, are explained with The Economist's trademark wit and verve. The Economist Explains and its online sister, the Daily Chart, are the two most popular blogs on The Economist's website. Together, these online giants provide answers to the kinds of questions, quirky and serious, that may be puzzling anyone interested in the world around them. Want to know why exorcisms are on the rise in France or how porn consumption changed during a false alarm missile strike warning in Hawaii? We have the answers They are sometimes surprising, often intriguing, and always enlightening.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/tom-standage-books\"\u003eTom Standage\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Profile Books Limited\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9781788161367\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Profile Books Limited","offers":[{"title":"Standard Secondhand — £1.00","offer_id":47917202571441,"sku":"SB-178816136X-C3","price":1.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/178816136X.jpg?v=1789440926"},{"product_id":"an-edible-history-of-humanity","title":"An Edible History of Humanity","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom the Publisher: From the bestselling author of A History of the World in Six Glasses, this is a riveting history of humanity told through the foods we eat. Throughout history, food has done more than simply provide sustenance; it has acted as a tool of social transformation, political organization, geopolitical competition, industrial development, military conflict and economic expansion. And today, in the culmination of a process that has been going on for thousands of years, the foods we choose in the supermarket connect us to global debates about trade, development, and the adoption of new technologies. An Edible History of Humanity is a journey through the uses of food that have helped to shape and transform societies around the world, from prehistory to the present. Drawing on genetics, archaeology, anthropology, ethno-botany and economics, the story of these gastronomic revolutions is a deeply satisfying account of the whole of human history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/tom-standage-books\"\u003eTom Standage\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2010\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 269\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Atlantic Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9781843546351\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Atlantic Books","offers":[{"title":"Poor Condition — £1.00","offer_id":47917611516081,"sku":"SB-1843546353-C4","price":1.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/1843546353.jpg?v=1789183038"},{"product_id":"the-victorian-internet","title":"The Victorian Internet","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe history of the telegraph - the men and women who made it - and its relevance to the current Internet debate\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/tom-standage-books\"\u003eTom Standage\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1999\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 216\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Phoenix\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780753807033\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Standage, Tom","offers":[{"title":"Standard Secondhand — £1.00","offer_id":47977632137393,"sku":"SB-0753807033-C3","price":1.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/0753807033.jpg?v=1790373546"}],"url":"https:\/\/sellbooks.co.uk\/collections\/tom-standage-books.oembed","provider":"Sell Books .co.uk","version":"1.0","type":"link"}