Price: $19.99 - $11.99
(as of Oct 26, 2026 20:15:35 UTC – Details)
Tracy Kidder’s “riveting” (Washington Post) story of one company’s efforts to bring a new microcomputer to market won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and has become essential reading for understanding the history of the American tech industry.
Computers have changed since 1981, when The Soul of a New Machine first examined the culture of the computer revolution. What has not changed is the feverish pace of the high-tech industry, the go-for-broke approach to business that has caused so many computer companies to win big (or go belly up), and the cult of pursuing mind-bending technological innovations.
The Soul of a New Machine is an essential chapter in the history of the machine that revolutionized the world in the twentieth century.
“Fascinating…A surprisingly gripping account of people at work.” –Wall Street Journal
ASIN : B005HG4W9W
Publisher : Little, Brown and Company
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : August 23, 2011
Edition : 1st
Language : English
File size : 870 KB
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 297 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-0316204552
Page Flip : Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #215,263 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #7 in Computing Industry History #9 in Computer & Technology Biographies #11 in Business & Management Technology History
Customer Reviews: 4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,753) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Customers find this book insightful and well-written, describing it as a must-read that reads like a novel. They appreciate its historical storytelling and technical details about computer design and manufacturing, with one customer noting how it provides a great example of older computer development processes. The book receives mixed feedback regarding its technical content, with some finding it too detailed for lay readers. While customers consider it still relevant today, some find it somewhat dated.
