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The Power of Three: Thomas Fowler, Devon's Forgotten Genius
One of the original pioneers of the computer was born over 200 years ago in Great Torrington in the west of England. His name was Thomas Fowler. This book reveals the pride and passion of a charismatic, self-taught inventor who was determined to succeed despite his humble origins and unorthodox path to mathematical brilliance.
It is a story of stunning resilience and ingenuity in the face of professional prejudice, betrayal and heart-breaking twists of fate. It is a story of an invention defined to re-write the history of computing.
"Computers might have changed history and our world almost a century sooner had the ideas of Fowler been understood and adopted by Babbage." Dr Ralph Merkle, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing, California.
"Fowler's calculator was in certain respects vastly more promising than Babbage's." Dr Doron Swade MBE. Previously Assistant Director and Head of Collections at the Science Museum, London.
It is a story of stunning resilience and ingenuity in the face of professional prejudice, betrayal and heart-breaking twists of fate. It is a story of an invention defined to re-write the history of computing.
"Computers might have changed history and our world almost a century sooner had the ideas of Fowler been understood and adopted by Babbage." Dr Ralph Merkle, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing, California.
"Fowler's calculator was in certain respects vastly more promising than Babbage's." Dr Doron Swade MBE. Previously Assistant Director and Head of Collections at the Science Museum, London.
Kindle Edition
Published October 7, 2025
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