Browse Books

Reviewer: Albert Alkins Mullin

Claude Elwood Shannon just turned 80 years old (30 April 1996). Without doubt, he is the father of modern information theory and inventor of important parts of basic communications theory. So why did it take so long for his Collected Works to appear in English__?__ Recall that A. N. Kolmogorov and his Russian colleagues brought out an 829-page version of Shannon's Works in 1963. The present version is much more comprehensive, includes much biographical material, and is very well put together. Indeed, Shannon's doctoral thesis on theoretical genetics is published for the first time, with warts and all. Shannon is actually much more famous in the engineering community for his brilliant master's thesis on switching circuits, which reshaped the design of telephony systems and facilitated the design of logical systems for computers. However, even Wiener's cybernetics refers mistakenly to Shannon's thesis as a doctor's thesis on switching systems [1]. Shannon and his engineering students started a technological revolution in the broad sense of the late Thomas Kuhn. His information-theoretic theories produced far more than the mere logical or polynomial-rate of generation and accumulation of knowledge. They were responsible for an impulse-rate of generation and accumulation of knowledge in computer science and communications theory. This well-edited book is divided into three major categories: (1) Communication theory, information theory, and cryptography; (2) Computers, circuits, and games; and (3) Genetics. Note that Shannon's doctoral thesis appears in Part C, not Part D, as stated on page xii. The editors have done an outstanding job in bringing together the diverse pieces of Shannon's many efforts. However, the Works should have had an index; then we could have explored more easily Shannon's amazing productivity in more detail, for instance, possible connections between Shannon and Turing or between Von Neumann and Shannon.

Reviewer: Paul J. Crepeau

Claude Shannon is one of the towering intellectual figures in twentieth-century scientific thought. Shannon, now in his late seventies and living quietly in Massachusetts, has been away from the scientific mainstream for more than two decades. While his reputation as spiritual father and pioneer of the information age has continued with uninterrupted vitality, many of the new generation of teachers and scientists have never actually read his key papers, and their knowledge of the man is based on secondhand classroom anecdotes residing somewhere on the border between myth and reality. Sloane and Wyner have now removed any uncertainty concerning Shannon and his enormous scientific contribution by gathering a wealth of information and presenting it in this wonderful volume. The heart of this volume is a collection of 76 papers authored or (occasionally) co-authored by Shannon. These papers are preceded by a short, informative biography, along with an interview and profile taken from an Omni magazine article of August 1987 [1]. The collection of papers is divided into three parts: (A) communication theory, information theory, and cryptography; (B) computers, circuits, and games; and (C) Shannon's hitherto unpublished doctoral dissertation on population genetics. Each section is prefaced by an informative discussion of the importance of the papers, and concludes with notes describing subsequent developments in the decades following Shannon's ground-breaking work. By their skillful blending of Shannon's writings with editorial commentary, Sloane and Wyner take us on an illuminating guided tour of Shannon's life and work and allow us to peer into the early days of information technology and computer science. This book can be enjoyed on many levels. The classic papers on information theory and cryptography are models of technical exposition and should be studied by all serious students of these subjects. Shannon's paper on the application of Boolean algebra to switching circuits is arguably the finest master's thesis in electrical engineering written in this century. It shows the 22-year-old Shannon in nearly full intellectual bloom. On the other hand, his doctoral dissertation on genetics is somewhat of a curiosity, and the editors have kindly included two contemporary evaluations of the work by world-class geneticists. Although not all papers will be studied with equal interest, collectively they clearly show the role played by Shannon in the history of technology. Much of the Shannon lore is built around his playful and mischievous nature. There are many stories about him riding a unicycle down the corridors of Bell Labs while juggling several balls. In this volume, we see that this prankish quality is simply a facet of one of his main character traits, that he is true to himself and works only on problems that he finds enjoyable and exciting, without regard for their practical utility. This is a scientist having fun. In several places we see his self-effacing modesty and integrity come forth. In an editorial for the March 1956 IEEE Transactions on Information Theory entitled “The Bandwagon” [2], he expresses concern that information theory is being overly publicized, and urges his colleagues to focus only on basic science and to avoid writing ill-conceived papers that merely exploit the subject's popularity. Shannon has always shunned the spotlight and has never consciously sought praise or glory. His enjoyment of his many medals and awards probably does not compare with his personal pride in recalling the great creative moments of his life. In that sense, Sloane and Wyner have given him the greatest honor possible, a single volume containing his life's work. This volume will be treasured by engineers and scientists for many decades to come.