Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet
“Fascinating and unique. . . . [A] captivating behind-the-scenes tour of how (and where) the Internet works. . . . [Blum] has a gift for breathing life into his subjects.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review))“Every web site, every email, every instant message travels through real junctions in a real network of real cables. It’s all too awesome to behold. Andrew Blum’s fascinating book demystifies the earthly geography of this most ethereal terra incognita.” (Joshua Foer, bestselling author ofMoonwalking with Einstein)“Tubesis an absorbing tale of this new technology, as well as a wonderful account of the Internet’s growth and the people who made it possible.” (Science News)“Clever, enterprising . . .Tubesuncovers an Internet that resembles nothing so much as a fantastic steam-punk version of itself.” (Boston Globe)“Engaging. . . . Full of memorable images that make the internet’s complex architecture easier to comprehend. . . . Blum leaves readers pondering questions that would not have occurred to them before and better informed about an innovation most of us take for granted.” (The Guardian)“A charming look at the physical infrastructure that underlies the Web.” (Scientific American)“A satisfying postmodern quest. . . . The history, in particular, is one of the best and most memorable I have ever read.” (New Scientist)“Blum paints a vivid picture of the Internet, and gives a sense that it is more than just the mysterious interstitial digital space between your computer and mine. It is, increasingly, the backbone that supports our daily life, and Mr. Blum is an able anatomist.” (New York Journal of Books)“Quixotic and winning. . . . Valuable, comic. . . . [Blum has] a knack for bundling packets of data into memorable observations. What makesTubesmore than an unusual sort of travel book, is [Blum’s] sense of moral curiosity.” (New York Times)“Ingeniously beguiling. . . . Blum is a smart, imaginative, evocative writer who embraces the task of making his readers feel the wonder represented by these unprepossessing objects.” (Laura Miller, Salon)“An engaging reminder that, cyber-Utopianism aside, the internet is as much a thing of flesh and steel as any industrial-age lumber mill or factory. It is also an excellent introduction to the nuts and bolts of how exactly it all works.” (The Economist)“A fascinating exploration of the physical nature of the Internet, and how the ‘network of networks’ came to be the way it is.” (Shelf Awareness)“Engaging. . . . Blum is a natural storyteller.” (PopMatters)“Enlightening. . . . A zippy history of a phenomenon that, as a society, captivates us, connects us, and vexes us.” (Guernica)“With infectious wonder, Blum introduces us to the Internet’s geeky wizards and takes us on an amiably guided tour of the world they’ve created, a world of wires and routers through which most of us daily wander . . . but which few of us have ever really seen.” (Donovan Hohn, author ofMoby-Duck)“Compelling and profound. . . . For the first time,Tubesbrings the ‘network of networks’ into stirring, and surprising, relief. You will never open an email in quite the same way again.” (Tom Vanderbilt, bestselling author ofTraffic)“A compelling story of an altogether new realm where the virtual world meets the physical.” (Paul Goldberger, author ofWhy Architecture Matters)“At once funny, prosaic, sinister and wise . . . A beautifully written account of the true human cost of all our remote connectivity.” (Bella Bathurst, author ofThe Lighthouse Stevensons)