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Summary: Lee Dugatkin
Review: A fantastic read. Simply one of the most enjoyable, fast-paced, non-fiction, books I have read in years.
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Summary: An unsung gem
Review: Although a familiarity with chess will help, you don't need to be an enthusiast to enjoy this excellent book. Lovers of magic, mysteries, showmanship, mechanical engineering, computers, game theory, psychology, math and history will all find this a fascinating and engrossing story, as will anyone with a smattering of intellectual curiosity. Standege has created a faithful history that is also a page turner. The tale of The Turk is amazing; for its celebrated encounters with formidable intellects ranging from Napolean to Edgar Allan Poe; for its effect on the fortunes and misfortunes of its inventor and promoters; for its role as an inspirer of modern computing; and also for the sad fact that few people today have heard of the automaton that once enthralled and baffled people in dozens of countries through two centuries. Even more compelling is the book's subtext about credulity and the public's ready willingness to believe what what their eyes show them, even when their brains know that it is not possible.
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Summary: The Turk Has Left the Building...
Review: As fabulous as Elvis, the mechanical chess player called "The Turk" played for sell-out crowds across Europe and into the USA. He rolled his eyes, he swiveled his left arm and he caused the girls to swoon with his deft moves.But what drove this mechanical marvel to success? Was it his ability to win quickly? Was it some hidden secret? Magnets? Trickery? And why was he hidden away in closets from time to time? Was he a shy Turkish King? Would he ever come out of the closet for good? Readers will be awed by his strange good looks. They will watch as he wards off spies and journalists who hope to learn his dark, very dark, secret. Only those with a burning desire for knowledge will find out. And only those who have staying power will learn the truth about his poor friend Schlumberger. Review by Larry Rochelle, Author of BOURBON AND BLISS, TRACETRACKS and DEATH AND DEVOTION
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Summary: Inferior to the other Turk book
Review: Better, as it uses original documents, is the "other" Turk book: The Turk, Chess Automaton
by Gerald M. Levitt
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Summary: Fun and Fact
Review: Even though it was slow at times, this book mixes fact with a little mystery. Very well crafted.
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Summary: Fun and Fact
Review: Even though it was slow at times, this book mixes fact with a little mystery. Very well crafted.
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Summary: Magical Mystery Tour
Review: I am geeky enough to find a famous automaton inherently interesting, especially one that seemed to be intelligent, but "The Turk" tickled my curiosity on whole different level. Tom Standage has managed to find one of those threads of history that connects a hundred interesting stories. What other object could connect Benjamin Franklin to P.T. Barnum, not to mention Napoleon , Charles Babbage, and Edgar Allan Poe? This is fine tale, full of strange characters, weird devices, and a dose of human folly , all carried forward by a strong undercurrent of mystery.
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Summary: Hoax or Not?
Review: I forget when or where but, many years ago, I first learned about a chess-playing automaton in the 19th century. In Standage's just published book, I have just 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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Summary: Not enough stars for rating
Review: I had been wondering about this machine since I first heard about it as a kid. I bought the book immediately on hearing about it. It is well written and as exciting as any mystery novel. I forced myself to not read the final disclosure. I enjoyed the history of the time surrounding the life of the machine and the technology that was rapidly developing at the time. What a stroke of genius to end the book with Big Blue.
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Summary: Intriguing Mystery, Fascinating History
Review: I had never heard of the Turk before reading a short blurb elsewhere about this book, nor do I play chess, but I was intrigued enough by what I read to order it and am glad I did. A relatively short book with some occasional (in my opinion) awkward writing, it provides a fascinating look at 18th century automata in general as well as a detailed history of the Turk. What was the Turk? As the title and book jacket indicate, a famous chess playing machine designed as a Turkish man sitting at a cabinet with a chessboard on top. The Turk moved its own pieces, could roll its eyes and shake its head, and, having put its opponent in check, say "Check" (or, later, "Echec", the equivalent in French). It could even detect cheating, at which it would return the offending piece to its previous position and then continue with its own turn, forcing the cheater to lose his. Cheat again and the piece would be confiscated; cheat thrice and the Turk would shake his head and sweep all the pieces to the floor. Although not unbeatable, the Turk won the great majority of its games and defeated some of the best players of its day. It was shown throughout Europe, made its way to the United States, and was even displayed in Cuba. During its travels it played against Napoleon Bonaparte-according to his valet, Napoleon cheated and was duly caught-and Benjamin Franklin, a rumored sore loser. Edgar Allen Poe saw The Turk play and wrote an exposé as to how he thought it worked. Its fame and indeed its life outlasted that of its creator, who rued that it overshadowed his other considerable achievements, and in all its 85 years of existence its secret remained just that. Was it really a machine? Or was there some trick that allowed human intelligence to guide it? If so, how? And what ultimately became of it? Along with the answers to these questions read contemporary theories as to how it worked, and how the genius that went into producing the automata of the time was the precursor to the Industrial Revolution and even today's computer. From early talking machines, mechanical ducks and elephants, and fabulously elaborate clocks and diorama man progressed to mightier machines and thus changed the world. At the end of the book the author reveals the secret of the Turk, plus tacks on to me a superfluous history of Deep Blue, today's modern equivalent. I stayed up until 1:30 a.m. to finish the book because I wanted so badly to know how The Turk worked and I was afraid I'd cheat otherwise and skip to the end. If you want an entertaining read for a couple evenings, I would highly recommend this book. One doesn't have to play chess to admire The Turk or enjoy its wonderful story.
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