Another great book along these lines is CODE, by charles petzold: http://www.charlespetzold.com/code/ http://www.charlespetzold.com/code/ He starts with elect

Another great book along these lines is CODE, by charles petzold: http://www.charlespetzold.com/code/ http://www.charlespetzold.com/code/ He starts with electricity and builds all the way up to modern computers. It isn't a hands on guide, but it is a very entertaining read.