The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage

The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage is a graphic novel by Sydney Padua that presents a comedic and fantastical alternate history where Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage successfully build the Analytical Engine. The work, which originated as a webcomic, blends meticulously researched historical biography with steampunk adventure, imagining the duo using their proto-computer to solve problems in a whimsical Victorian era London. It is celebrated for its unique synthesis of computer science history, literary humor, and intricate cartoon artwork.

Publication and format

The project began in 2009 as a webcomic on Sydney Padua's personal site, initially conceived as a single illustration for a friend. Its immediate popularity led to further installments, eventually compiled and expanded into a full graphic novel published by Pantheon Books in 2015. The print edition features extensive and detailed annotations, footnotes, and appendices that delve into the real historical record, including primary sources from Babbage's autobiography and Lovelace's correspondence with Augustus De Morgan. The book's unique structure intertwines the fictional comic narrative with substantial non-fiction commentary, a format praised by publications like The New York Times and The Guardian.

Plot and characters

The core premise imagines an alternate 19th century where Lovelace and Babbage complete the Difference Engine and the more advanced Analytical Engine, establishing a "user base" of one in a cluttered workshop at 17 Dorset Street. The episodic adventures see the pair, often accompanied by a skeptical Queen Victoria and a long-suffering Isambard Kingdom Brunel, using the machine for purposes ranging from battling rogue economic crises and poetic spam to hosting a disastrous soirée for the literary set, including Charles Dickens and George Eliot. Sydney Padua portrays Babbage as a cantankerous inventor obsessed with destroying street organ grinders, while Lovelace is the brilliant and pragmatic programmer, their dynamic echoing famous literary partnerships like Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.

Historical basis and accuracy

Despite its fantastical plots, the book is deeply grounded in historical scholarship. Sydney Padua conducted extensive research in the archives of the British Library and Science Museum, London, weaving factual details about the Industrial Revolution, Babbage's feuds with the Royal Society, and Lovelace's education under Mary Somerville into the narrative. The extensive footnotes clarify the real contributions of the protagonists, such as Lovelace's notes on Luigi Menabrea's paper, which contained the first published algorithm. The work distinguishes its fiction from fact, using the comic to explore the "poetical science" Lovelace envisioned while the annotations anchor it in the realities of George Boole's logic and the politics of the Exchequer.

Critical reception and legacy

Upon release, the graphic novel received widespread critical acclaim for its originality, intelligence, and humor. Reviewers in The New Yorker and The Washington Post lauded its ability to make complex historical and technical subjects accessible and entertaining. It has been particularly influential in popular culture, bringing the story of Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage to a broader audience and is often cited in discussions about women in STEM fields. The book is considered a landmark in non-fiction cartooning, sitting alongside works like Logicomix and Maus for its ambitious blending of educational content with sequential art.

Awards and recognition

*The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage* was shortlisted for the 2015 British Book Awards in the Illustrated Book category. It won the 2016 PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing in a whimsical nod to its "lawn sports" chapter, and was also a finalist for the Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work. The book was selected as a notable title of the year by several institutions, including the American Library Association and the New York Public Library, cementing its status as a unique contribution to both comics and the history of science.

Category:2015 graphic novels Category:American graphic novels Category:Steampunk comics Category:Works about Ada Lovelace Category:Works about Charles Babbage