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At first sight Electronic Genie: The Tangled History of Silicon looks
severely academic. But it’s an extraordinarily interesting account of silicon’s
career from the time it was suspected of being an element to its paramount
importance in computers. Frederick Seitz and Norman Einspruch keep at its heels,
heading through areas such as the history of radar and the revolution in
semiconductor electronics following the invention of the transistor.
Explanations of the inner workings of silicon devices are splendidly clear, and
there is much on the personalities involved in the story along the way.
Published by Illinois University Press, $34.95, ISBN 0252023838.