This is one of the best popular books on computer science or mathematics in years. Most authors in this area (e.g., Berlinski) have no special expertise in the subject matter or its history; that doesn't guarantee a bad book, but makes it hard to write a good one. Davis is a refreshing exception:

* He is a brilliant researcher, who made fundamental contributions to areas such as computability (the Davis-Putnam- Robinson theorem, related to Hilbert's 10th problem) and algorithms (the Davis-Putnam algorithm for solving satisfiability problems).

* He is a master expositor (his 1958 book "Computability and Unsolvability" was one of the very first textbooks in its area, yet it is still widely read today despite the many other books written on this subject over the past 42 years).

* He has spent the last twenty years studying the history of logic and computation.

Davis's book is all one would hope for given his qualifications. It is insightful and engaging, and full of fascinating information that is hard to find elsewhere. I cannot imagine a better book on this subject.