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The Mechanical Turk: The True Story of the Chess-playing Machine That Fooled the World
 
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The Mechanical Turk: The True Story of the Chess-playing Machine That Fooled the World (Hardcover)

by Tom Standage (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 273 pages
  • Publisher: Allen Lane (25 April 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0713995254
  • ISBN-13: 978-0713995251
  • Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 13.5 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 778,447 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review
The true story of the Turk, an infamous 18th century automaton, links an unlikely cast of historical characters, from Napoleon, Beethoven and Poe to the pioneers of the computer age.

Daily Mail
"Gripping...a rattling good yarn told by a natural entertainer."

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
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 (4)
4 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Hoax or Not?, 10 Feb 2006
By Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Mechanical Turk: The True Story of the Chess-playing Machine That Fooled the World (Paperback)
I forget when or where but, many years ago, I first learned about a chess-playing automaton in the 19th century. In Standage's book, I have finally learned "the rest of the story." The automaton (named "The Turk") attracted a great deal of attention and generated a great deal of controversy. Benjamin Franklin apparently played a game or two against it. In fact, "The Turk" is reputed to have defeated most of Europe's chess masters during a period which extends from 1770 until 1855. It attracted the attention of countless celebrities (e.g. Napoleon Bonaparte, Edgar Allan Poe, Catherine the Great, and Charles Babbage) and indeed, "The Turk" itself became a celebrity as did its inventor, Wolfgang von Kempelen. Was it truly a technological marvel, not only able to to move chess pieces but to formulate and then follow strategies which prevailed against most of the most skilled players? Or was it a hoax? It would be a disservice both to Standage and to his reader to say much more about this book, except that it is exceptionally well-written and combines the best features of a crackerjack detective story with the skills required of a world-class cultural anthropologist. Standage is a master storyteller; he tells the story of "The Turk" within the context of the Age of Victoria when the Industrial Revolution was well-underway and indeed thriving. Great stuff!
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating true scientific detective story, 13 May 2003
By Hugh Thomas (Bristol, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Mechanical Turk: The True Story of the Chess-playing Machine That Fooled the World (Paperback)
Non-scientists should not be put off that this might be filed under science. It's an accessible, easy read that carries you along by the scruff of the neck as Standage unveils the truth behind the 18th century chess playing automaton. Was it an early version of IBM's Deep Thought computer or merely a parlour magic trick . . . or something of both and neither? Read to the end and find out the truth, touching along the way on encounters with the likes of Napoleon, Edgar Allan Poe and Benjamin Franklin. If only history had been this gripping at school.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling read, 16 Jun 2002
Tom Standage has taken a obscure mystery, the workings of the mechanical turk, and a made it into a thought provoking journey through 18th and 19th century history, with various asides on AI, automation, trickery and chess, which only reveals the trick in the penultimate chapter. Gripping stuff.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating page turner!
As this is a book review then, having read the book I won't give away the secret of the Mecanical Turk! I really enjoyed this account by Tom Standage. Read more
Published 11 months ago by gjb

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful tragedy of technology
Of course, the lead role in this book is the mechanical Turk, a chess playing machine that baffled Europe around 1800. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Christian Jongeneel

5.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining account of an intriguing device
In an age when chess-playing computers are hardly a novelty, it might be hard to imagine just how remarkable people found Wolfgang von Kempelen's automaton. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Mark Klobas

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