I loved The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage. It’s consistently charming, hilarious, smart, and incredibly informative. What a great way to give Lovelace and Babbage a wonderful adventure and a happy ending.
Based on the very real friendship and partnership between Ada, Countess of Lovelace and Charles Babbage, this graphic novel takes place in a “pocket universe” where the two of them actually built the Difference Engine (Analytical Engine, if you want to be precise, but as Padua notes, Difference Engine sounds cooler). Adventures and hijinx ensue, with tons of cameos from famous Victorians.
Padua’s writing and art are both delightful, lively and entertaining. The footnotes and endnotes are extensive and fourth-wall-breaking. Padua does a great job of explaining and contextualizing the history of computer science and mathematics (and pocket universes). This book grew out of her webcomic, which you can find here. Her site is great, chock-full of fun extras and an adventure that didn’t make it into the book.
If you enjoy a blend of humor and history, and/or if you’re a Kate Beaton fan, you should give this a look! Steampunk fans might find a lot to like, too.
–Marie
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