about the cover illustration

The caption for the illustration on the cover of The Art of AI Product Development is “Derviche Tourneur, espèce de Religieux Turc,” or “Whirling Dervish, a kind of Turkish religious mendicant.” The illustration is taken from Recueil de costumes et vêtements de l’Empire ottoman au 18e siècle depicting costumes and clothing of the Ottoman Empire in the 18th century, published in 1786.

In those days, it was easy to identify where people lived and what their trade or station in life was just by their dress. 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.