Regular readers are likely aware of Tracy Kidder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Soul of a New Machine, an inside look at the experience of a team of Data General engineers racing to design a next-generation minicomputer back in the 1970s. It’s an fascinating and highly enjoyable read that set me searching for similar, up-close looks at the genesis stories of the various microcomputers that I know and loved in my youth.

Books of the sort, as well as more general computing historicals that I can recommend, follow in no particular order.

Dealers of Lightning: Xero PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael A. Hiltzik — A close look at the creation of so many key computing technologies that sprang from a little research lab set in the hills of Palo Alto, back in the 1970s.

by Michael A. Hiltzik — A close look at the creation of so many key computing technologies that sprang from a little research lab set in the hills of Palo Alto, back in the 1970s. The Little Kingdom by Michael Moritz — An inside look at Apple in the early ’80s, very similar in style to Kidder’s work.

by Michael Moritz — An inside look at Apple in the early ’80s, very similar in style to Kidder’s work. On The Edge: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore by Brian Bagnall — A behind-the-scenes look at the creation stories of Commodore computers, from the PET to the Amiga.

by Brian Bagnall — A behind-the-scenes look at the creation stories of Commodore computers, from the PET to the Amiga. Revolution in the Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made by Andy Herzfeld — A series of short anecdotes that together provide an interesting look at how the Macintosh came to be.

by Andy Herzfeld — A series of short anecdotes that together provide an interesting look at how the Macintosh came to be. CoCo: The Colorful History of Tandy’s Underdog Computer by Boisy Pitre and Bill Loguidice — An in-depth look at the home computer a Fort Worth leather company brought to market, and the community that rallied around it.

by Boisy Pitre and Bill Loguidice — An in-depth look at the home computer a Fort Worth leather company brought to market, and the community that rallied around it. Defying Gravity: The Making of Newton by Markos Kounalakis and Doug Menuez (photographer) — A look at the creation of the Apple Newton, full of engineering anecdotes as well as lavish photography that helps convey the experience.

by Markos Kounalakis and Doug Menuez (photographer) — A look at the creation of the Apple Newton, full of engineering anecdotes as well as lavish photography that helps convey the experience. Insanely Great: The Life and Times of Macintosh, the Computer That Changed Everything by Steven Levy — The author’s account of his first experiences with the prototype Macintosh and a look at its first 10 years.

by Steven Levy — The author’s account of his first experiences with the prototype Macintosh and a look at its first 10 years. Revolutionaries at Sony: The Making Of The Sony Play Station And The Visionaries Who Conquered The World Of Video Games by Reiji Asakura — The genesis story of the Sony Playstation.

by Reiji Asakura — The genesis story of the Sony Playstation. The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon–The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World by Steven L. Kent — A rather detailed look at the pinball and early arcade and home console video game scene, and the companies behind it.

by Steven L. Kent — A rather detailed look at the pinball and early arcade and home console video game scene, and the companies behind it. Steve Jobs & The NeXT Big Thing by Randall E. Stross — A look at Steve Jobs’ creation of NeXT Computer after his ousting from Apple in 1985. The book provides a detailed look at the company but, interestingly, was published in 1993, before NeXT took over Apple and NEXTSTEP became Mac OS X.

by Randall E. Stross — A look at Steve Jobs’ creation of NeXT Computer after his ousting from Apple in 1985. The book provides a detailed look at the company but, interestingly, was published in 1993, before NeXT took over Apple and NEXTSTEP became Mac OS X. Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet by Katie Hafner — A detailed account of the creation of the Internet, beginning in the 1960s with J.C.R. Licklider and his DARPA team, on through to the modern Internet we use every day.

by Katie Hafner — A detailed account of the creation of the Internet, beginning in the 1960s with J.C.R. Licklider and his DARPA team, on through to the modern Internet we use every day. Inside the Machine: An Illustrated Introduction to Microprocessors and Computer Architecture by Jon Stokes — A comparative look at the evolution of the Intel Pentium Pro (P6) and IBM PowerPC microarchitectures from then to now.

by Jon Stokes — A comparative look at the evolution of the Intel Pentium Pro (P6) and IBM PowerPC microarchitectures from then to now. The Second Coming of Steve Jobs by Alan Deutschman — A detailed look at Steve Jobs and NeXT’s takeover of Apple and the biggest turnaround in business history that resulted.

by Alan Deutschman — A detailed look at Steve Jobs and NeXT’s takeover of Apple and the biggest turnaround in business history that resulted. The Race for a New Game Machine: Creating the Chips Inside the XBox 360 and the Playstation 3 by David Shippy and Mickie Phipps — The story of the creation of the processor that powers Sony and Microsoft’s seventh-generation game consoles, told by the team leader inside IBM. (Not so vintage, but extremely interesting.)

by David Shippy and Mickie Phipps — The story of the creation of the processor that powers Sony and Microsoft’s seventh-generation game consoles, told by the team leader inside IBM. (Not so vintage, but extremely interesting.) Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner — A look at the Johns Carmack and Romero and the story of the games they created, from the Commander Keen days to Doom, Quake, and beyond.

by David Kushner — A look at the Johns Carmack and Romero and the story of the games they created, from the Commander Keen days to Doom, Quake, and beyond. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson — The highly acclaimed bio gets us closer to Jobs the man, while taking a detailed look Apple’s history (and NeXT’s) and the formative days of Silicon Valley.

by Walter Isaacson — The highly acclaimed bio gets us closer to Jobs the man, while taking a detailed look Apple’s history (and NeXT’s) and the formative days of Silicon Valley. The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder — An inside look at the experience of a team of Data General engineers racing to design a next-generation minicomputer back in the 1970s.

* While the list above is indeed Apple / Steve Jobs-heavy, Apple has endured while most of its early contemporaries have not. That fact, along with Jobs’ history and notorious personality, have attracted much attention from authors over the years. I feel it’s worth mentioning that most (if not all) of the titles dealing with Apple give a wider glimpse of the industry at the time, as well, which those not particularly interested in Apple may still find worth a look.