Brian W. Kernighan is a professor in the Department of Computer Science at Princeton University. He is the coauthor of ten other books, including the computing classic The C Programming Language (Prentice Hall). He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

"Kernighan tells us exactly what we need to know about computers and computer science, focusing on ideas that are useful and interesting for everyday computer users. He covers a fascinating range of topics, including fundamentals such as computer hardware, programming, algorithms, and networks, as well as politically charged issues related to government surveillance, privacy, and Internet neutrality."—John MacCormick, Dickinson College

"Understanding the Digital World provides a broad overview of computers and electronic communications for a general audience. The book flows smoothly from topic to topic, and readers from diverse backgrounds will find it accessible."—Bryan Respass, Bergen County Academies

"This is the clearest and simplest explanation of the world we now all depend on—how it works and why it does what it does—from one of our best-known inventors. Everyone on Earth needs to read it."—Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Alphabet Inc. and Google

"This book takes the mystery out of computers and the Internet, and everyone can learn from it. With a friendly and accessible style, Kernighan connects what is happening inside machines to the news of the day and developments about the digital world."—Harry Lewis, coauthor of Blown to Bits: Your Life, Liberty, and Happiness after the Digital Explosion

Kernighan offers elucidations of the diversified communications array of cell phones and land lines, internet protocols, the web, search engines, malware, cryptography, online anonymity, cloud computing, and the emerging 'Internet of Things.'

[Kernighan's] credentials as a computer scientist are stellar but what comes through in this book is a humanitarian concern about the place of technology in the modern world. . . . The grounding [the book] provides in the fundamentals of computing and how the technology interacts with our lives will remain relevant for a very long time.---Steve Mansfield-Devine, Network Security