Atari 2600/7800: a visual compendium

During Atari’s early tenure as the video game industry’s leading light, it oversaw seismic change in what was still a very young, still-evolving sector. 

Not only was Atari’s VCS/2600 system the first piece of gaming equipment to truly dominate the living room, it also played host to some of the most iconic titles of all time, including Asteroids, Space Invaders, Pac-Man Defender, Joust, Pitfall!, River Raid and many, many more. Atari 2600/7800: a visual compendium aims to showcase the very best pixel art, cover art and product design on each system. Spread over 528 pages, it features over 200 classic games, with articles on the leading third-party developers, interviews with key figures in the industry and features on subjects such as cover art, prototypes and homebrew releases.

Founded by Sam Dyer in 2014, Bitmap Books creates meticulously researched, visually ambitious books that bring your classic gaming memories to life. Bitmap partners with game industry figures like Mark Cerny, Ste and John Pickford, Tim Schafer and Ron Gilbert, SNK producer Yasuyuki Oda, and many more. Many titles are proudly unofficial, but others are done with SEGA, SNK and Atari, officially-licensed books that come complete with enhanced access and exclusive assets. Bitmap’s best-sellers are: A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games, The Art of Point-and-Click Adventure Games and The CRPG Book: A Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games.