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Mac History & Culture Books
A modest selection of books about the history and culture that surround the Macintosh. Please click on the title for more information on each book.
There was a time, not too long ago, when the typewriter and notebook ruled, and the computer as an everyday tool was simply a vision. Revolution in the Valley traces this vision back to its earliest roots: the hallways and backrooms of Apple, where the groundbreaking Macintosh computer was born. The book traces the development of the Macintosh, from its inception as an underground skunkworks project in 1979 to its triumphant introduction in 1984 and beyond. The stories in Revolution in the Valley come on extremely good authority. That's because author Andy Hertzfeld was a core member of the team that built the Macintosh system software, and a key creator of the Mac's radically new user interface software. One of the chosen few who worked with the mercurial Steve Jobs, you might call him the ultimate insider.
The Cult of Mac takes you inside the world of the Mac addict. Meet fans who get Mac tattoos and haircuts, people who travel across the globe to attend Apple Store openings, and counterculture icons who love the Mac. Discover the realm where old Macs become aquariums or bongs, origami Macs are made out of paper, and where the Macs of the future are envisioned not by suits in Cupertino, but by Mac heads all over the world. Visit the gatherings of the Mac tribe, from the big trade shows to tongue-in-cheek lookalike contests of Mac celebrities.
The Cult of iPod is a complete look at how Apple's iPod is changing music, culture, and listening behavior. Includes the back story of the iPod's development; looks at the many ways iPod's users pay homage to their devices; and investigates the quirkier aspects of iPod culture, such as iPod-jacking (strangers plugging into each other's iPods to discover new music) as well as MP3Js (people who use the iPod to become DJs).
Macintosh... The Naked Truth (Special Order)
An irreverent, off-the-wall, PC-slammin', totally-biased look at Apple, and what it's like to be a Mac user stuck in a Windows dominated world. Macintosh...The Naked Truth is definitely not another Mac how-to book; it's a mass-market, personality book about a computer platform and the people who love it, and the love/hate relationship they have with Apple. It's about what you feel, how you're treated (and mistreated), and what it's really like living life in the computing minority.
Insanely Great: The Life and Times of Macintosh (Reissue)
Back in the early 1980s, word spread about an inviting little personal computer that used something called a mouse and smiled at you when you turned it on. Steven Levy relates his first encounter with the pre-released Mac and goes on to chronicle the machine that Apple developers hoped would "make a dent in the universe." A wonderful story told by a terrific writer (Levy was the longtime writer of the popular "Iconoclast" column in MacWorld; he's now a columnist with Newsweek), the birth and first ten years of the Macintosh is a great read.
Apple Confidential 2.0: The Definitive History
Apple Confidential examines the tumultuous history of America's best-known Silicon Valley start-up &endash; from its legendary founding almost 30 years ago, through a series of disastrous executive decisions, to its return to profitability, and including Apple's recent move into the music business. Linzmayer digs into forgotten archives and interviews the key players to give readers the real story of Apple Computer, Inc. This updated and expanded edition includes tons of new photos, timelines, and charts, as well as coverage of new lawsuit battles, updates on former Apple executives, and new chapters on Steve Wozniak and Pixar.
Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer (Special Order)
In the early 1970s, while Silicon Valley was designing the latest generation of digital wristwatches and pocket calculators, a ragtag group of college dropouts, hippies, and electronics hobbyists were busy creating the future in their garages. What they built was the personal computer, but what they were aiming for was something much more ambitious: a revolution. Fire in the Valley is the story of their efforts, and in particular, the contributions of an informal think tank called the Homebrew Computer Club. Its technically gifted community, comprising sci-fi aficionados and Berkeley counterculturists, believed computers could usher in an age of human empowerment, perhaps even a utopia.
This book tells the story behind 40 classic home computers of an infamous decade, from the dreams and inspiration, through passionate inventors and corporate power struggles, to their final inevitable demise. It takes a detailed look at every important computer from the start of the home computer revolution with the MITS Altair, to the NeXT cube, pehaps the last serious challenger in the personal computer marketplace. In the thirteen years between the launch of those systems, there has never been a more frenetic period of technical advance, refinement, and marketing, and this book covers all the important steps made on both sides of the Atlantic. Whether it's the miniaturization of the Sinclair machines, the gaming prowess of the Amiga, or the fermenting war between Apple Computer, "Big Blue," and "the cloners," we've got it covered. Digital Retro is an essential read for anyone who owned a home computer in the Eighties.
The Second Coming of Steve Jobs (Reissue)
From the emergence of Apple Computer in the late 1970s and early 1980s to its current resurgence, charismatic leader Steve Jobs has captivated the public. Both revered and reviled for his dictatorial manner and stunning successes, Jobs has transcended his legend in Silicon Valley to take on some of the heaviest hitters in Hollywood. Now, in The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, Alan Deutschman presents the most revealing portrait yet of this fascinating, complex character--an in-depth look at the many layers of Steve Jobs, a man who is at turns a brilliant cult figure and an abusive, egomaniacal kid.
On the Firing Line: My 500 Days at Apple (Special Order)
The book provides some insight into the significant events that occurred under Amelio's watch, such as Apple's failed in-house development of Copland, the search to license an operating system for the Macintosh, as well as details about those who would buy Apple including Sun Microsystems and Oracle. But the real focus of the book is Amelio's own frustrations in working with Apple's chaotic and undisciplined culture as well as Steve Jobs, the man who would eventually fire him. Although Amelio's account is at times overly self-serving, On the Firing Line is a good read that should interest most Mac users.
The Macintosh Way (Special Order)
The Macintosh Way is a "take-no-prisoners guide to marketing warfare" says Jean Louis Gasse, founder and president of Be, Inc. Must reading for anyone in the high-tech industry, it is valuable, insightful guide to innovation management and marketing for any industry.
Apple T-Shirts: A Yearbook of History at Apple (Special Order)
Apple employees have long been expressing themselves with t-shirt art. For twenty years t-shirts have chronicled events and accomplishments within Apple Computer. Here to view for the first time is the unique talent and creativity of some of the world's most ingenious employees. Their hard work is represented in over 1500 pictures of more than 1000 shirts that mark the public recognition of the milestones they have achieved.
AppleDesign: The Apple Industrial Design Group (Special Order)
AppleDesign walks you through every product line, including many that never actually saw the light of day. Photographs ranging from the Apple I prototype and the classic Apple II to the space-age futurism of the eMate and Pomona lines will have Mac fanatics drooling and even the staunchest Apple critics sighing in appreciation. It is hard to imagine a photo book of any other company's computers that could be construed as aesthetically pleasing. The accompanying text tells the stories behind the pictures and contains plenty of insider anecdotes, profiles of the creative forces of Apple, and descriptions of the product lines from the actualized to the theoretical. This is a staple for any Apple fan and a worthwhile addition to the shelf of anyone interested in the history of computing.
Apple Human Interface Guidelines (Special Order)
Supposedly a guidelines for software developers, The Apple Design Interface is a fascinating read for designers in general, especially those on the internet. Covering colour theory, the design of attractive and appropriate icons, the proper use of dialogue boxes, menus and design elements, this is a big, thick, well-designed tome. The book has very few flaws - the dry tone is an inevitable result of its status as a reference work, and those who despise Apple's design guidelines probably will never, ever read this. You can't really read it all the way through, either - it's best to dip in here and there, reading chapters at will. Despite these negligable points, this book is invaluable for anybody designing a digital human interface, and the section on black-and-white icons is suddenly relevant again in the WAP age. Indeed, everything here is still bang-up-to-date, which tends to suggest either that Apple got it right a long time ago, or that interface design has been paralysed for two decades.
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