The Information (James Gleick)

Gleick’s history of information as a concept — African talking drums, the telegraph, Babbage, Shannon’s 1948 paper — and of what happens to a civilisation once it can measure the stuff it runs on.

Why it’s on the list: Named in the replies to @SpencrGreenberg asking what non-fiction book taught you the most about how the world really works — a crowd-sourced list Kyle recovered by hand and saved.

The title takes a (James Gleick) suffix because The Information in this wiki is the news outlet.

Where I saw it: In the replies to @SpencrGreenberg asking “What non-fiction book taught you the most about how the world (or how humanity or society) really works?” (June 5, 2025). Kyle recovered the reply list by hand and saved it to his “Books To Read” Apple Note; the full transcribed list lives on A question for you — What non-fiction… (tweet).

Connections

• A question for you — What non-fiction… (tweet) — the thread this came out of; the full recovered list lives there.
• Science — the subject.
• Technological Innovation — the portfolio idea this sits closest to.