Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

With wonderful detail, this book explores the life and work of Ada Lovelace, taking the time to ensure readers also understand the background of her parents and their likely influence. The detail of her work on the analytical engine is very interesting and her relationship with Babbage is important to acknowledge. There are many unknowns and gaps about which the author offers theories but it is frustrating that some questions will never be answered. A very well executed biography.

NetGalley, Louise Gray

"Ada Lovelace: The World's First Computer Programmer" is both enjoyable and informative, making it a wonderful starting point for anyone curious about this pioneering figure in computing history. Adams successfully brings Lovelace's story to life, showcasing her brilliance, challenges, and lasting legacy.

NetGalley, Teresa Bowen

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I give Ada Lovelace five out of five stars!

NetGalley, Michelle Kidwell

As featured in

Lancashire Post

Ada Lovelace The World’s First Computer Programmer is complete with a bibliography, notes and photographs. Adams also provides a valuable discussion of Ada’s mother’s contribution to her problems as well as Ada’s ability to meet the challenges posed by her health, brilliance and family background.

NetGalley, Robin Joyce

A short, lively and informative biography of Ada Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron and the world’s first computer programmer.
Adams has an informal, easy to read writing style that makes this an enjoyable read...

It was interesting to read the theories of the ‘Byron curse’, suggesting that there was a history of mental illness running through the family. Certainly, they all seemed to display addictive and impulsive personalities.
All in all, an enjoyable read for fans of biographies, women’s history or Byron.

NetGalley, Sarah Logan Bennison

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

In a new biography of Ada Byron King, Countess of Lovelace, Beverley Adams brings the first computer programmer to life. First introducing her contributions and (re)discovery by Alan Turing in the twentieth century, Adams then turns to Ada’s parents, their unorthodox and ultimately unhappy marriage, and the complications of her father, famous poet Lord Byron, and Annabella Milbanke’s desire to protect her daughter Ada from everything -- including Ada herself. The rest of the book follows Ada’s childhood, marriage to the Earl of Lovelace William King, friendship with inventor Charles Babbage, her contributions to the Difference Engine, and her tragically early death. Adams concludes by discussing the challenges of observing Ada’s life and the myth of the “Byron madness,” a critical historical evaluation that focuses on the challenges of reading into difficult lives, parent-child relationships, and physical and mental illness. Adams successfully brings Ada to life, and the attention to detail and analysis serves this book very well. With helpful images and an index, Adams’s book is well-structured, and the book is very readable; when combined with Ada’s relatability to a modern audience, the book becomes incredibly fascinating and relevant to the modern reader. The book is fascinating, tragic, compelling, and informative, bringing one of the most important inventors -- male or female -- to life.

NetGalley, Lily Amidon

Article: Ada the Great: Victorian whizz who ushered in the age of computers

The Sunday Post (Dundee)

This is a nicely written and readable book, which helped me learn much about Ada Lovelace and her interesting, though complicated (and not always happy) life and achievements. I also rather liked that Adams’ resources range from works on Babbage and Lovelace; and Byron to the Little People Big Ideas volume on Ada!

NetGalley, Mallika Ramachandran

'Ada Lovelace' is a very readable, short biography that helps us better understand the woman: her genetics, childhood isolation, quirks, and personality. I really enjoyed becoming better acquainted with this eccentric woman and was left wondering what she may have further achieved if she'd lived a longer life. I think anyone who enjoys reading women's non fiction would enjoy reading this book.

NetGalley, Christy Howl

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I was happy to find some light reading on Ada Lovelace and was curious to find out more about her. This is the perfect place to start if you want to find out more about this remarkable woman.

NetGalley, Morgan Schaer

As featured in

The Bookseller, Jan 23