The book presents the life and works of one of Germany's most famous computer scientists, Carl Adam Petri. It is written in a vivid and entertaining manner, providing an in-depth discussion of the background behind Petri's best-known contribution to computer science, the Petri net. In this way the book can be read as a first introduction to nets, but it also covers the theoretical, physical and philosophical foundations behind nets, thus facilitating a comprehensive understanding of the wider range of Petri's works. The book is intended for readers with a previous knowledge in computer science, as well as for "interested non-professionals", who want to get to know a remarkable personality of contemporary science.
"The book can be considered as both an emotional and exciting novel ... . It was a great honor and quite a privilege for me to have had the opportunity to meet Petri several times during my career, and it would be great if many people who did not have that opportunity could now get to know him by reading this book, which I strongly recommend." (David de Frutos Escrig, Mathematical Reviews, January, 2017)