“Empire of the Sum” Book Tells the Story of the Electronic Calculator

People have sought ways to automate calculations for ages, but the integrated circuit put this ability in engineers’ shirt pockets.

Dan Carney, Senior Editor

September 15, 2023

2 Min Read
calculator
Peter Dazeley via Getty Images

My first experience with an electronic calculator was in the 1970s when my engineer grandfather had an early digital calculator that was his prized possession. He let me play with it, and I imagined tearing through my grade school math homework with such a device.

I don’t remember the brand, but there’s an excellent chance it was something like the Hewlett-Packard HP-35, which the manufacturer recalls “quickly replaced the faithful slide rule that had been used by generations of engineers and scientists for rapid calculation and simple computation.”

Honoring the Inventor of the Integrated Circuit

A new book by author Keith Houston (W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.) -- who previously wrote Shady Characters about punctuation and The Book on the history of books -- looks back at the development of calculators, starting with simple early mechanical devices such as the abacus through to the modern electronic calculator that has been largely replaced by smartphone apps.

Empire of the Sum: The Rise and Reign of the Pocket Calculator follows the same formula as the surprise bestseller Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time, which described the creation of accurate clocks for navigation at sea.

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In his book, Houston describes the development of slide rules and complex mechanical calculating engines before the rise of electronic devices using vacuum tubes, transistors, and finally, integrated circuits.

Thanks to this culmination of technology, my grandfather could retire his slide rule. And I could spell "SHELLOIL" on its LED display by typing in 71077345 and turning the calculator upside down.

Houston covers the contributions of companies like Olivetti, Texas Instruments, and Hewlett-Packard to making the compact pocket calculator a reality, followed by the observation that the device has been rendered obsolete by software on ubiquitous smartphones. “The calculator is dead,” he writes. “Long live the calculator.”

The 384-page book is available for $32.50 in hardcover form and for the Kindle.

About the Author

Dan Carney

Senior Editor, Design News

Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.

A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.

Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.

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He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.

He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.

He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.

He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.

Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.

He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers

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