Recommend me some older Mac-centric books

  • It's #MARCHintosh 2025! Join in on the fun and post your project or play with some new stuff in our #MARCHintosh 2025 thread.
This Does Not Compute

This Does Not Compute

Administrator
Staff member
Oct 27, 2021
319
456
63
www.youtube.com
Out of curiosity I've been reading Bob Brant's "Build Your Own Macintosh and Save a Bundle" and found it to be quite interesting. The technical contents aren't exactly remarkable, but it's a great time capsule of what being a Mac owner was like in the late 80s/early 90s. Are there any other books like it that I should check out? The Macintosh Bible is a bit too encyclopedic for what I'm looking for, and I've already read through The Macintosh Way (which isn't a technical book but engaging nonetheless).
 
  • Like
Reactions: eric
Patrick

Patrick

Tinkerer
Oct 26, 2021
435
1
225
43
As a youngster I remember reading "Build Your Own Macintosh and Save a Bundle" and day dreaming about having my own Computer instead of having to share the family computer. Where I could do whatever i want with it.

Another book I liked from that period was The Mac Bathroom Reader by Owen W. Linzmayer

its a light history book. not very technical.
 
KnobsNSwitches

KnobsNSwitches

Tinkerer
Nov 2, 2021
39
42
18
Don't forget David Pogue's 'Hard Drive' novel, featuring lots of Macs. Not technical (being a novel and all) but still relevant subject matter.
 
RetroViator

RetroViator

Tinkerer
Oct 30, 2021
85
105
33
retroviator.com

Attachments

  • IMG_7992.jpg
    IMG_7992.jpg
    2.2 MB · Views: 67
Elemenoh

Elemenoh

Active Tinkerer
Oct 18, 2021
396
390
63
Bay Area
I really like How Macs Work. Lots of great illustrations and a clear explanations.

www.goodreads.com

How Macs Work

A guide to the MacIntosh features discussions of what i…
www.goodreads.com www.goodreads.com


There was even a revision for later-90's things

How Macs Work, Millennium Edition by Rizzo, John, Clark, K. Daniel: Good | Wonder Book

ISBN: 9780789724281 - Que - Condition: Good - Good condition. Millennium edition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains. - How Macs Work, Millennium Edition
www.abebooks.com
 
Crutch

Crutch

Tinkerer
Jul 10, 2022
293
228
43
Chicago
Elemenoh said:
I really like How Macs Work. Lots of great illustrations and a clear explanations.
Click to expand...
Nice tip, hadn’t seen this one before - and I quite enjoyed that it has a 1-star review on Amazon because someone complained that the material was dated … in 2001 😊 Sounds like it’s just right for us!
 
PL212

PL212

New Tinkerer
Dec 25, 2022
25
12
3
I have about seventy books that I categorize as “Classic Macintosh’, a list is online here:

https://www.librarything.com/catalog/pleonard/classicmacintosh

There’s a bias towards graphic design, typography and DTP, partly because those are what really gave the Mac a market foothold despite it’s price. You’ll also see the book-length BMUG Newsletters in there; they (together with similar volumes from BCS-Mac) are a real treasure trove of what folks were actually interested in doing with computers before the internet.
 
  • Like
Reactions: eric and Patrick
Patrick

Patrick

Tinkerer
Oct 26, 2021
435
1
225
43
Thanks for the link. thats a really neat resource.

are their a few you particularly like?
 
nilobject

nilobject

New Tinkerer
Nov 21, 2023
17
11
3
  • Love
Reactions: Patrick
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom