Fire in the Valley : The making of the Personal Computer (1984-2000-2014) by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine is a book that primarily charts the early history of the personal computer in the 1970s until 1984. The later editions very rapidly chart the history of the computer industry from 1984 onwards.
The book covers the Altair, the Homebrew Computer Club, the start of Apple, the start and rise of the IBM PC and also a number of other companies that are now historical footnotes. But it is all interesting, it’s well worth being reminded about how many different computers there were in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
There are also descriptions of early computer magazines, trade shows and some of the important software of the era. The people involved are really interesting to read about.
The two later sections on the growth of the PC market, the comeback of Apple, the rise of the consumer internet and the creation of the iPhone cover much more ground than the earlier chapters and other books that cover this history in more detail has an advantage.
Fire in the Valley is very much worth a read for anyone interested in the early history of personal computing. It’s terrific that there is such a good book about this time. It’s not quite as much fun to read as Accidental Empires but it is definitely a valuable book for anyone interested in the history of computers.
ReviewSien 