Behind this slightly outré title lies an amazing little book: Owen Linzmayer has done the best reporting on the history of the Mac to date. Rather than repeat myths recounted at length in numerous other books, he digs into the lore and provides interesting correctives.
There are great photos and lots of embarrassing quotes. Read stories of feuds and goofs involving industry insiders including Steve Jobs, John Sculley, and Jef Raskin (my face is red). Near-catastrophes and outright disasters abound.
Trivia question: What do Dianne Feinstein, Jim Henson, Lee Iacocca, Sean Lennon, Stephen Sondheim, Ted Turner, Kurt Vonnegut, and Andy Warhol have in common? They all figured into the early history of the Mac (see page 110).
The book offers tons of fascinating random stuff and an extensive list of Easter eggs - hidden computer goodies - as well as the wizardry needed to conjure them onto your screen. I tried a few with great results.
This is one hell of a funny, informative, and iconoclastic book. Cheap, too.
The Mac Bathroom Reader, by Owen W. Linzmayer: US$12.99. Sybex Inc.: (800) 227 2346, +1 (510) 523 8233.
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