A FINANCIAL TIMES AND TLS BOOK OF THE YEAR

An extraordinary biography of John von Neumann: the lost giant who invented our world.

"A dazzling book, with an intoxicating mixture of portraiture and grand historical narrative. Above all, it pulses with a vivid mix of amazing ideas... A stunning achievement." - Tim Harford.

The smartphones in our pockets and the computers that function like brains. The quirks of game theory and evolutionary biology. Self-replicating bases on the Moon and nuclear weapons. All bear the fingerprints of a remarkable man: John von Neumann.

Born in Budapest at the beginning of the 20th century, von Neumann is one of the most influential scientists who ever lived. His peers believed he had the fastest brain on the planet. He was pivotal in the Manhattan Project and helped shape the fundamental principles of Cold War geopolitics and modern economic theory. He created the first programmable digital computer and foresaw the possibilities of nanotechnology. From his deathbed, he analyzed the limitations of brains and computers - and how they could be overcome.

Taking us on an astonishing journey, Ananyo Bhattacharya explores how the combination of genius and unique historical circumstances allowed one man to traverse so many different fields of science, inciting revolutions wherever he went.

Analytical and enlightening, The Man from the Future is a compelling intellectual biography of the visionary who shaped our century.

Pages: 368, Dimensions: 13x13cm