He is has now released a memoir, which catches my eye, called This Is for Everyone.
Of course, he invented the World Wide Web while working at CERN and gave the protocol and code to the world, royalty free. Hence the book’s name. I remember once arguing his case with a colleague, and it seems Stephen Fry may agree with me. One of the blurbs on the cover – by Mr Fry – says: “Who is the greatest living Englishman? It would be hard to argue against the merits of Tim Berners-Lee.”
The book tells the story of his work across the years and his most famous creation. It is described as being about the power of technology and being filled with “characteristic optimism, technical insight and wry humour”.
Invention
The publishers, Pan Macmillan, write:
“In this intimate memoir, Berners-Lee tells the story of his iconic invention, exploring how it launched a new era of creativity and collaboration while unleashing a commercial race that today imperils democracies and polarizes public debate. As the rapid development of artificial intelligence heralds a new era of innovation, Berners-Lee provides the perfect guide to the crucial decisions ahead – and a gripping, in-the-room account of the rise of the online world.”
Interestingly, he was born in the same year as both Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. He may have made less money, having released the world wide web for no commercial reward, but I’m sure he has achieved as much satisfaction as those two.
I do want to read this book. For example, to find out more about his thoughts on social media and the creeping commercialisation of the Web. One for Christmas maybe.
This Is for Everyone details
Title: This Is for Everyone
Author: Sir Tim Berners-Lee
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Date: September 2025
Pages: 400
Formats: Hardback
ISBN-13: 9781035023677
Cost: £25.00
Well, who would you say is the greatest, living British engineer? Leave a comment below.
See also: Gadget Book: Practical Deep Learning (with Python)
