Given the proliferation of computers and computer-related products, it is difficult to realize that the computer's history is, in fact, a very short one. Rene Moreau, Director of Scientific Development, IBM France, traces the evolution of the computer from its earliest stored-program stages in the 1940s to the introduction of the IBM 360 Series in 1963.Written for the nonspecialist, his book defines, explains, and dates those first formulations in computer science and covers the major phases in the evolution of the software and hardware. Moreau divides his history into three sections - The Birth of the Computer (up to 1950), The First Generation (1950-1959), and The Second Generation (1959-1963). He concludes by examining the current state of the computer industry and its future direction. Also included are a discussion of programming languages and an appendix which details early work on computers in the USSR.