about-the-cover-illustration
about the cover illustration
The caption for the illustration on the cover of Building Reliable AI Systems is “Dilsis, ou sourd-muet de Grand Seigneur,” or “Dilsiz, or deaf-mute in the service of the Sultan,” taken from an album of Turkish costume paintings in the George Arents Collection held at the New York Public Library, originally published in the early 1800s.
In those days, it was easy to identify where people lived and what their trade or station in life was by their dress alone. Manning celebrates the inventiveness and initiative of the computer business with book covers based on the rich diversity of regional culture centuries ago, brought back to life by pictures from collections such as this one.