Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer (Second Edition)

“A book not to be missed, just plain good reading about the drama of the Kids next door turning their dreams into millions.” —The New York Times “Swaine and Freiberger capture the communal spirit of the early computer clubs, the brilliance and blundering of some of the first start-up companies, the assortment of naiveté, noble purpose and greed that characterized various pioneers, and the inevitable transformation of all this into a major industry. Must reading.” —Philip Lemmons, editor-in-chief, BYTE Magazine

Paul Freidberger is the co-author of Fuzzy Logic: The Revolutionary Computer Technology That Is Changing Our World (S&S, 93), which won the Los Angeles Times Book of the Year award. He has been a newspaper reporter and columnist for the San Jose Mercury News, the San Francisco Examiner, and other publications. He has written articles for numerous publications and produced reports for National Public Radio. He has appeared on radio and television as a commentator on technology issues. He currently works as a member of the research staff at Interval Research Corp. in Palo Alto, California. Michael Swaine is editor-at-large for Dr. Dobb's Journal, a programmer's magazine, and a columnist for several magazines and electronic and broadcast venues. He holds degrees in computer science and psychology and has worked as a computer programmer, magazine editor, and publisher. He has written books on technology and has launched several computer magazines and a book line. In the past eighteen years, he has written over nine hundred articles on computers and technology. He is the creator of the Mr. Usasi puzzle detective.