If you are at all interested in the history of the internet, be sure to have a look at HOW THE INTERNET HAPPENED by Brian McCullough, host of the Internet History Podcast. He subtitles his text "From Netscape to the iPhone" and details events (e.g., dot.com bubble) that occurred between the late 1990s and 2008. In his entertaining and informative recap, McCullough provides plenty of background on key players and influencers (e.g., Bill Gates and Steve Jobs) and companies (e.g., Yahoo, AOL, Amazon), many of whom will be familiar names for most readers. Also, he tends to divide his chapters into discussions of evolving services (e.g., eBay, iTunes) in response to changing consumer expectations (trust in others, mixing music). Hopefully, McCullough will pick up the story again after the birth of the iPhone and the rising popularity of blogs in 2008 as another decade of innovation is waiting to be chronicled.

HOW THE INTERNET HAPPENED received starred reviews from both Kirkus and Library Journal and I believe it will appeal particularly to readers who can recall the early internet days and marvel over the progress from dial-up connections to high speed wireless.

A thoroughly researched, well-laid-out history of the internet, from the beginnings of 1970s hobbyists to modern-day Silicon Valley billionaires. Entertaining read that will appeal to technophiles and casual users alike.