An unprecedented combination of computer history and striking photography, Core Memory reveals modern technology’s rapid evolution through highlights from the world’s most renowned computer collection, the Computer History Museum in California’s Silicon Valley.
Featuring important and eccentric machines spanning more than five decades, this book brings the inspired design of pioneering computer scientists into sharp focus and presents a window into the history of modern computing.
Mark Richards’ lovingly detailed images reveal the sometimes-surprising marks of human effort (such as a console equipped with its own built-in lighter and ashtray) in a technology that is often thought of as clinical and futuristic. Each entry also includes text by acclaimed writer John Alderman, detailing the characteristics of each machine and providing an overview of its historical importance and points of scientific interest.
Core Memory profiles 35 machines—including the Eniac, Johnniac, Crays 1–3 and Apple I and II—from the Computer History Museum's collection – the largest and most significant assemblage of vintage technology in the world.
Over 100 extraordinary color photographs, making Core Memory a surprising addition to the library of photography collectors, and the ultimate "Geek-Chic" gift for technology fans.
MARK RICHARDS is a photographer who has covered such diverse subjects as combat in Afghanistan for Time and street gangs in Los Angeles for Newsweek. His work has appeared in publications including The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Smithsonian, Fortune, Life and Businessweek. He has covered Silicon Valley since the early 1990s.
JOHN ALDERMAN, has written about the culture of high technology since 1993, when he worked at the high tech lifestyle magazine Mondo 2000. He was part of the team at the seminal web site HotWired, and later the culture editor for WiredNews. He author of Sonic Boom, a history of the nascent online musical explosion, which was a New York Times Notable Book in 2002.
DAG SPICER is senior curator at the Computer History Museum. An electrical engineer and historian, Spicer holds graduate degrees in the History of Science from the University of Toronto and Stanford University. He is internationally recognized as an authority on the history of computing.
Contact:
Patricia Quill
patti_quill@chroniclebooks.com
415.537.4256
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In Mountain View, California, a not-for-profit organization with a 25-year history as part of the former Boston Computer Museum, preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and stories of the information age. Dedicated to exploring the social impact of computing, CHM's diverse collection of computing-related artifacts is the largest and most significant in the world. CHM brings computing history to life through an acclaimed speaker series, dynamic website, and onsite tours and exhibits. Current exhibits include “Mastering The Game: A History of Computer Chess,” "Innovation in the Valley," and "Visible Storage," featuring 600 key objects from the collection. A signature “Timeline of Computing History” exhibit will open in October 2009. For open hours and more information, please visit www.computerhistory.org or call 650.810.1010. Admission is free.
To purchase a copy (or copies) drop by the Museum store or contact Jim Somers, 650.810.1027
