Book Review

The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sidney Padua

Steampunk fans, nerds, comic book fans, and history fans rejoice, for all these things come gloriously together in The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage. Author Sidney Padua combines a non-fiction comic, a fiction comic, and non-fiction prose for your delight and edification. Here’s the deal:

The first section of the book tells the real-life story of Victorian Mad Scientists Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace (commonly referred to as history’s first computer designer and computer programmer, respectively) in comic book form. At the bottom of every page are the footnotes, which are copious, followed by a longer prose section at the end of the section. I must warn readers that the footnotes and endnotes are in tiny type, so if you suffer from eyestrain you’ll want one of those reading magnifying glasses.

panel in which Lovelace is thrilled about a model of the Difference Engine. An on-looker says,

Of course, the sad truth is that Charles Babbage lived a long life but died feeling unappreciated and underpaid, while Ada Lovelace died of cancer just before she turned thirty-seven. Babbage’s two most famous inventions were his giant calculating machines; The Difference Engine and the Analytical Engine were never fully constructed during Babbage’s lifetime, although he did construct one section of the Difference Engine to use as a model. Babbage and Lovelace are something of patron saints to steampunkers, because of their mad science and their rather mad lives – Babbage fought bitterly and publically with EVERYONE and Ada was addicted to opium and gambling (and was, famously, the daughter of Lord Byron). Since they mingled with everyone who was anyone in the sciences and the arts, their lives are a joy to research whether for steampunk purposes or for a less speculative reading on Victorian history.

This is all too sad for Padua, so having wrapped up the true story, she fills the rest of the book with the comic book adventures of Babbage and Lovelace in a Pocket Universe, where Babbage and Lovelace fight crime, although, as Padua points out, Babbage’s idea of crime is “street music” and Lovelace’s is “poetry”.

Ada Lovelace says,

Even thought the Pocket Universe adventures are (theoretically) fictional, they are still packed with loads of non-fiction footnotes and endnotes. One page consists of nothing but tiny type information about all the different kinds of knighthood – blessedly, it’s all overlaid with a picture of a very angry Queen Victoria demanding that Babbage and Lovelace get back to business. This still leaves plenty of pages of text about math and poets of the time and the history of imaginary numbers and Victorian writers and oh my goodness, there’s a lot of stuff. Let’s not forget the appendices, which include primary source material and drawings and guides to the designs of the Engines.

I checked this book out of the library and it’s such a great reference and simultaneously a fun lark that it will cause me physical pain to turn it back in (but I will). I love that you have the option to just read the comics and partake in frothy fun (LOVE THE ART), or you can read the footnotes and find yourself with a detailed reference book. The comics are incredibly whimsical and clever and funny and the reference material is also presented in a funny, accessible way.

The comic presents Babbage and Lovelace as platonic friends, as they seem to be. As Padua points out:

 

Some may wonder – was there anything romantic between them? There’s a good reason to think that there was, and that reason is, it’s extremely fun to think about. Sadly, that’s the only reason, as there isn’t a hint of romance in any of their correspondence with each other, and they weren’t exactly the subtlest people in the world.

So alas, if you are looking for Babbage/Lovelace romance, you won’t find it in these pages. But you will find a partnership and friendship that is just as satisfying, and, in these comics, hilarious. This is a book that is helpful but above all, it’s pure, undiluted, chaotic fun.

Self-portrait of the author/illustrator, bravely drawing while fighting a dragon and something with tentacles.
Self-portrait of the author/illustrator
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The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Syndey Padua

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  1. MelM says:

    No love for Brunel, “the Wolverine of the mid-Victorians”?

  2. Vasha says:

    I read some of this back when there was only a couple years’ worth of webcomics and am very glad to hear there’s more. Completely delightful!

  3. Darlynne says:

    The author/illustrator’s self-portrait is wonderful.

  4. ruth says:

    Again with the book rec containing an awesome woman! This one is catnip for my daughter (very into strong women, especially scientists/mathematicians, graphic books, obscure info with *primary source material*). Again, I’ll be one-clicking and lamenting your effect on my wallet 😉

  5. […] mentions: Lumberjanes was just about the most fun a comic can possibly be, and The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage made history an insane thrill ride of crazy […]

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