James Essinger Explained

Birth Name:James Julius Essinger
Birth Date:1957 9, df=yes
Birth Place:Leicester
Occupation:Writer
Language:English
Nationality:British
Education:MA (Hons) English Language and Literature
Alma Mater:Oxford University, Lincoln College
Notableworks:Jacquard's Web;Spellbound: The surprising origins and astonishing secrets of English spelling

James Essinger (born 5 September 1957) is a freelance writer and British author of numerous financial and business management books, but he is better known for his non-fiction books. These include Spellbound: The Improbable Story of English Spelling[1] and his popular science book on the history of computing, Jacquard's Web.[2] Essinger is also the author, with Jovanka Houska, of The Mating Game, a novel set in the world of chess.

Biography

Born in Leicester (5 September 1957), Essinger was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys, Leicester, and at Lincoln College, Oxford, where he obtained an MA in English Language and Literature.[3] Although a competition-level chess player, Essinger chose to focus on his academic career rather than entering the world of professional chess. After university, Essinger went to Finland where he taught English and became fluent in Finnish.[4] [5]

Since 1984, Essinger has been a freelance reporter[6] [7] and prolific writer of books, articles and other publications.[8] [9] [10]

In December 2015, Essinger founded 'The Conrad Press', a publishing firm in Canterbury,[11] publishing the first fiction works by various authors, including Peter Taylor-Gooby, and local historian Paul Crampton. The Conrad Press now has more than 400 books in print or in production.

Publications

Essinger's writing begun in finance, management and IT, but more recently focuses on historical books.

Finance, IT and management (selection)

History of computing

His book, Jacquard's Web, develops from his involvement writing a computer history book about Charles Babbage,[12] The Cogwheel Brain, with Dr. Doron Swade .[13] His own research starts earlier and covers the role of Jacquard's Loom cards (the idea which Babbage used for his first 'computers', the Difference Engine and the Analytical Engine), which were the precursors of the first programming languages, a significance recognised by Babbage's friend, Ada Lovelace.

Jacquard's Web (2004) was named one of The Economist's Best Science and Technology Books of 2004[14] [15] and one of the best books in Science and Technology for 2004 by Entertainment Weekly.[16]

Essinger continues this interest in his biography of Ada Lovelace, A Female Genius: How Ada Lovelace Started the Computer Age (2013)[17] This book was published in the United States under the title Ada’s Algorithm (2014). In 2019 Essinger published a book about the friendship between Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace, Charles and Ada: the computer’s most passionate partnership.[18]

A movie option has been bought to Ada’s Algorithm by Monumental Productions [19]

Essinger has also written the libretto and most of the lyrics for a new two-act musical about Ada Lovelace: Ada’s Algorithm, the Ada Lovelace musical.[20]

History of spelling

Spellbound: the true story of man's greatest invention (2005) explores the English language and how it has developed through the ages to the quirkiness of today. Essinger covers topics from the extended meanings of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, King Alfred the Great's promotion of Anglo Saxon English to influences on our contemporary language.[21] He discusses how English is a mongrel mix of languages from as diverse sources as Cornish, Finnish and Inuit,[22] and how it shapes the English people.[23]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Essinger, James. Spellbound: The Improbable Story of English Spelling: The True Story of Man's Greatest Invention. 2006. Robson Books Ltd. 978-1861059062.
  2. Book: Essinger, James. Jacquard's Web: How a hand-loom led to the birth of the information age. 2004. OUP Oxford. United Kingdom. 9780192805775. registration.
  3. Web site: Essinger. James. The High-TEch Retail Financial Services Revolution. Global Business Insights. 3 January 2013.
  4. News: Wignall. Alice. Latin lover: Latin was a living thing for James Essinger. 3 January 2013. The Guardian. 27 June 2006.
  5. Web site: Essinger, James 1957– . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924171324/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-3481100106.html . dead . 24 September 2015 . Gale Group . Gale Contemporary Authors series. . 1 January 2006 . 16 January 2013.
  6. News: unknown. Computers not to blame for crash, says report. 1 January 2013. The Age. 25 October 1988.
  7. News: Essinger. James. Revolution starts at the bottom: James Essinger on a different route to market for East European banks. 4 January 2013. The Independent. 30 May 1993.
  8. Web site: Essinger. James. The Loom that Wove the Future. 25 May 2010. Popular Science. 4 January 2013.
  9. Web site: Essinger. James. 200th years of Petra, Jordan. Business Destinations. 4 January 2013.
  10. Web site: Essinger. James. The myth of chartism. 19 November 2012. World Finance. 4 January 2013.
  11. Web site: The Conrad Press . theconradpress.com.
  12. News: Prince. Rosa. Tragedy of man who invented computer 150 years too soon. 6 January 2013. The Independent. 1 March 1998.
  13. Book: Swade, Doron. The cogwheel brain : Charles Babbage and the quest to build the first computer. 2000. Little, Brown. London. 978-0316648479.
  14. News: Books of the year 2004: Feet up, volume down. 4 January 2013. The Economist. 25 November 2004.
  15. Web site: Jacquard's Web. Oxford University Press. 4 January 2013.
  16. News: Kim. Wook. Jacquard's Web (review). https://web.archive.org/web/20070327144941/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,831853,00.html. dead. 27 March 2007. 4 January 2013. Engertainment Weekly. 3 December 2004.
  17. Book: Essinger, James. A Female Genius: How Ada Lovelace Started the Computer Age. registration. 2013. Gibson Square Books Ltd. UK. 978-1908096661.
  18. Book: 978-0750990950. Charles and Ada: The Computer's Most Passionate Partnership . Essinger . James . 2019 .
  19. Web site: Computer Science Pioneer Ada Lovelace Biopic in Works at Monumental with Google Support. The Hollywood Reporter. 14 October 2016.
  20. Web site: Home . theadalovelacemusical.com.
  21. News: Wallraff. Barbara. Why English Isn't as Easy as A-B-C. 4 January 2013. The Wall Street Journal. 5 May 2007.
  22. Blake. Julie. Getting tuffa on the causes of spelling. English in Education. 2008. 42. 2. 199–212. 10.1111/j.1754-8845.2008.00017_1.x.
  23. News: Palmer. Sue. Spellbound: the improbable story of English spelling. 4 January 2013. Times Literarary Supplement. 7 July 2006.

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