Revolution in the Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made
by Andy Hetzfeld, forward by Steve Wozniak
O'Reilly Publishing
Price: $24.95
Pros: Easy to read, well-illustrated, full of honest first-hand accounts.
Cons: Some jargon will be lost on the less techno-savvy.
by Gerrit Dalman
Apple is a special company and the Macintosh was a pivotal product that is still at the heart of its success today. Yet if you were to look inside the original Macintosh you would find something even more remarkable than technical innovation and creativity.
Past the intuitive graphical user interface, behind the first 3.5" floppy drive in a personal computer, and over the novel logic board was something that most users never knew was there. Inside the case of every Macintosh was a collection of signatures. Just as an artist would sign a canvas, the team that put together the first "insanely great" computer signed their masterpiece.
The Macintosh was a special product because of the amazing team that took it from conception to retail. Revolution in the Valley is the story of their achievement. It is a sturdy and attractive hardbound book with a modern and approachable layout, relevant illustrations, and highlighted summary quotes from team members and the minds that inspired them. Under the dust cover it is adorned with stills taken from the infamous 1984 commercial announcing the Macintosh.
Though the book touches on parts of the larger Apple story - such as the exile and return of Steve Jobs, the development of the Lisa, and the great initial success of the Apple II - it maintains its focus on the Macintosh throughout. It follows the project from Jeff Raskin's research project, to Steve Jobs' adoption as the future of Apple, and through the first time the world said "'hello' to Macintosh."
Rather than offering a "monolithic narrative," Revolution is presented as a compilation of short stories. Most are the work of Andy Hertzfeld, a key personality in the development of the Macintosh system software, but some are submissions from other team members.
The episodic approach makes the book accessible and easy to read, not to mention giving it a coffee-table appeal. Each is organized more or less chronologically, but overlap often - thankfully in dates much more than in narrative. In such cases there are useful references to the related story and the assortment of unique voices actually better illustrates the key personalities than a single-perspective account would.
Co-authors also contributed to the healthy collection of rare and unique photographs, original notes, and advertisements that are well placed throughout the book. Combined with the energetic layout, the illustrations give a lot of color to the lively tales of Silicon Valley's most famous pirates.
As can be expected in a book about a technical innovation, there is some jargon that may be lost on the average Apple fan, but those instances are few and sufficiently nestled in the story that their meaning is clear enough.
The market is full of books about Apple, but Revolution in the Valley offers a specific focus and an easy-going style. If you call yourself a fan, you owe it to yourself to peruse this book and get to know the people that birthed the Mac. For those who are looking to learn a little more about the roots of Apple's success, this is a great choice. It truly is The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made.