Great little history book for the uninitiated. Doesn't get bogged down in details, flows wells, and by sticking to its cast of characters, it almost feels like a novel at times. But... by sticking so closely with the characters, it is a little more difficult to see the true shape/trajectory of certain ideas. Biggest gripe with this book is that it is pretty old, and mostly ends with the early 1970s. (A lot has happened in those intervening 50 years).