Volume III: Chronology, was written by Chris Moschovitis and five other authors, and covers the same time period as the earlier edition, 1843-present. The history is divided into eight chapters, ending in 2004. In the early 1800s, Charles Babbage worked on designs for his Difference Engine (also the title of a novel by Gibson and Sterling), and by 1840, proposed a design for his Analytical Engine. 1843 is chosen as the opening date for the Internet's prehistory, the year that Sketch of the Analytical Engine by Charles Babbage appeared. Written by LF Menabrae, the report was translated by Ada Lovelace, who, according to the authors of this volume, quadrupled the manuscript's length by adding her own analysis and commentary. Slightly dated Internet statistics and a bibliography of online resources to Internet history are also provided.

In each entry in the Biography and Issues volumes, further reading from within these two volumes is also suggested, if appropriate.

The Internet: A Historical Encyclopedia is a great place to start when looking for biographical, social, and historical information about the Internet. At US$285, it is expensive, but worth the price if your library needs a current and detailed reference tool covering this topic. I like the organization of the encyclopedia: each volume is relatively small in size, and the concise, brief entries make it easy to sift through the set, find a topic or biography of interest, and start reading from there, rather than have to read each volume from beginning to end.

Of note, the ABC-CLIO site includes a preview of the E-book version of this title, which, as of this writing, seems to include the entire encyclopedia!