Book description
Ted Nelson's visionary 1980 book, which defined the term "hypertext" and foretold the Worldwide Web. A rare and historic book.
- Coming soon!
- Coming soon!
Why read it?
1 author picked Literary Machines as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
The famously mercurial Nelson has been writing about the possibilities of networked information since the 1960s.
Indeed, he first coined the term “hypertext” in 1965. In Literary Machines (first published in 1981), he proposed a hypertext system dubbed Xanadu (after Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s famous “vision in a dream”), a new kind of networked system that would serve as a repository of all the world’s knowledge.
He proposed that users could connect related documents together via “jump links,” embed content from one document into another via what he called “transclusion,” and even explored the possibilities of micropayments.
Nelson’s pioneering work won…
From Alex's list on forgotten pioneers of the Internet.
If you love Literary Machines...
These Blue Mountains
A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.
German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…
Want books like Literary Machines?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 8 books like Literary Machines.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,366
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like Literary Machines, you might also like...
Marriage and Fatherhood in the Nazi SS
When I was writing this book, several of my friends jokingly called it the Nazi baby book, with one insisting it would make a great title. Nazi Babies – admittedly, that is a catchy title, but that’s not exactly what my book is about. SS babies would be slightly more…
A Forgivable Indecision
In 1913, a 15-year-old pregnant girl was found dead of apparent suicide. Dr. James Wilson, a new graduate and the first doctor ever to start a practice in this rural town, feels guilty over her death because of his delayed intervention.
He knows Bessie was raped by one of her…
