In 1934, Paul Otlet, a Belgian entrepreneur, designed a proto-Internet which he called a réseau mondial-- literally, "worldwide web." Today, Otlet and his vision have been all but forgotten, thanks to a series of historical misfortunes, but Alex Wright brings Otlet's extraordinary story back into the light in this fascinating look at the dream of universal knowledge.
In 1934, Paul Otlet, a Belgian entrepreneur, designed a proto-Internet which he called a reseau mondial-- literally, worldwide web. Today, Otlet and his vision have been all but forgotten, thanks to a series of historical misfortunes, but Alex Wright brings Otlet's extraordinary story back into the light in this fascinating look at the dream of universal knowledge.
a great introduction to Paul Otlet's life ... [Wright] provides a thorough overview of its historical context and how it relates to our Internet Age.