BOOKS
1000 Game Heroes
Choquet, David
3-822-81633-7; Taschen; 2002; $40.00 (HC); $60 (PB); 608p. Notes: Ten chapters covering various heroes throughout the history of video games. Includes brief introductions by noteworthy industry figures such as Shigeru Miyamoto and Peter Molyneux.
2004 Video Game Price Guide
Highland Dynamics, Inc.
1-581-12553-4; Universal Publishers; 2004; $19.95; 152p; PB. Notes: Poor editing, incomplete lists, and odd prices completely mar this book.
2005 Video Game Price Guide
Highland Dynamics, Inc.
1-581-12477-5; Universal Publishers; 2005; $19.95; 192p; PB. Notes: Most of the mistakes from the last book are here as well, and the prices are woefully out of date.
ABC to the VCS: A Directory of Software to the Atari 2600
Herman, Leonard
NO ISBN; Rolenta Press; 1996; $8.00; 154p; unique (printed on 8.5" x 11" paper folded in half and stapled; no square spine). Home: 2600. Notes: A book of descriptions of over 500 games released for the Atari 2600. The games are grouped by types. A bit hard to read straight through, but a very handy reference.
ABC to the VCS: A Directory of Software for the Atari 2600
Herman, Leonard
NO ISBN; Rolenta Press; 2005; $20; 346p; PB. Notes: 2nd Edition. Covers 163 additional titles, with summaries of over 700 games including screenshots of most!
Accidental Millionaire: The Rise and Fall of Steve Jobs at Apple Computer
Butcher, Lee
0-913-72979-5 (HC); 1-557-78143-5(PB); Continuum Intl Pub Group; 1987; $19.95 (HC); $9.95 (PB); 224p. Notes:
Addison-Wesley Book of: Atari Software 1984
Stanton, Jeffrey, Robert P. Wells, Ph.D, Sandra Rochowansky, and Michael Mellin, Ph.D.
[ISBN?]; Micro Software books; [Date?]; $[?]; [?]p; [Format?].
Adventures of Q*Bert, The
Robinson, John (writer) and Al Moraski (illustrator)
0-910-31312-1; Parker Brothers; 1983; 26p; HC (children's book). Notes: For 6-10 year-olds. Q*Bert, who lives on the planet Qube, where nearly everything is cube-shaped, sets out to rid a magic mountain of monsters in order to make his planet a better place. (?) The most amusing part of the book is the inside front cover, where the author attempts to convince children that Q*Bert's typographical exclamations mean such things as "Whew, that was a close one" or "This makes me angry!", when everyone *knows* his expletives are, well, just that. :)
Apple Confidential 2.0: The Definitive History of the World's Most Colorful Company
Linzmayer, Owen W.
1-593-27010-0; No Starch Press; 2004; $19.95; 323p; PB. Notes: Illustrated (2nd edition).
Arcade Fever: The Fan’s Guide to the Golden Age of Video Games
Sellers, John
0-762-40937-1; Running Press Book Publishers; 2001; $18.95; 160p; SC.
Arcade One: Illustrated Historical Guide to Arcade Machines
Bueschel, Richard M.
0-866-67051-3; Coin Slot Books; 1993; $36.95; 304p; PB.
Arcade Treasures (with price guide)
Kurtz, Bill
0-887-40619-X; Schiffer; 1994; $39.95; 176p; HC. Notes: Color photos; illustrated. Covers mostly early electro-mechanical games, but goes up through Pong and Space Invaders, at least.
Art of Computer Game Design: Reflections of a Master Game Designer
Crawford, Chris
0-078-81117-1; McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1981, 1984; [$?]; [p?]; PB.
Art of Interactive Design: A Euphonious and Illuminating Guide to Building Successful Software
Crawford, Chris
1-886-41184-0; Oreilly & Associates Inc.; 2002; $29.95; 408p; HC. Notes: Former computer game developer Crawford, in a work written for designer of interactive products, discusses the theories and principles of interactive design in a discursive style. Throughout, he points to common mistakes in design and offers advice in improving design processes.
Atari Computer Workout, The
Software Lab East
0-810-45769-5; SAMS; 1984; [$?]; [?]p; PB.
Be A Home Video Game Superstar: Secrets To The Best Games For Your Atari VCS
Zavisca, Ernest, Ph.D. and Gary Beltowski
0-516-08984-6 (cover), 0-832-62262-1 (title page); Delair Publishing, Inc.; 1983; no cover price; 247p; HC. Notes: This illustrated tome covers strategies, hints and solutions for VCS/2600 games from Atari, Activision, Apollo, Imagic, and Spectravision.
Best Texas Instruments Software, The
Consumer Guide
0-517-42476-2; Publications International Ltd.; 1984; [$?]; 160p. Notes: As stated in the title, this book covers a lot of software. Page 69 to 146 is dedicated to games. This is an interestig book becuase it offers a review and info about what genre, who made it, requirements, price and format as well as warranty periods.
Billiards, Bowling, Table Tennis, Pinball, and Video Games: A Bibliographic Guide
Craven, Robert R.
0-313-23462-0; Greenwood Publishing Press; 1983; $59.00; 163p; HC. Notes: Includes indexes.
Black Art of XBOX Mods, The
Harbour, Jonathan S.
0-672-32683-3; Sams; 2004; $24.99; 336p; PB. Notes: Includes photos and decriptions to help determine which version XBOX you have, and how to add both solder and solderless mod chips (notably the Xenium).Also how to flash your XBOX bios, upgrade your hard drive, and install after-market software.
Bit by Bit: An Illustrated History of Computers
Augarten, Stan
0-899-19268-8 (HC), 0-899-19302-1 (PB); Houghton Mifflin Company; 1984; $[?]; 304p; HC, PB.
Blips!: The First Book of Video Game Funnies
Stine, Bob
0-590-32721-6; Scholastic; 1983; $[?]; 80p; PB. Notes: Illustrations by Bryan Hendrix. Humor. Includes "Video Games Hall of Fame", "Video Games That Didn't Go Over", and "How to Clean Your Video Game" (which shows the inside of a game cartridge as containing magnetic tape!). There are at least 2 variations of this book: Front cover: 1) Up left side "Scholastic 0-590-32721-6/$1.95 US/$2.50 CAN". 2) Just the ISBN. Back cover: 1) 1/4" of red, 1" yellow, 2-1/2" red, 1/2" yellow, rest white with big UPC ISBN, and Scholastic Inc. 2) 1" red, same until bottom, which is red, no UPC, "cover illustration: Bryan Hendrix"; Scholastic Book Services. Identical otherwise except for title page.
Blue Wizard Is about to Die!: Prose, Poems, and Emoto-Versatronic Expressionist Pieces about Video Games (1980-2003)
Barkan, Seth Fingers Flynn & Warren Wucinich
0-974-10000-5; Rusty Immelman Press (R.i.P.); 2004; $15; 160p; HC, PB. Notes: Claims to be the first book of poetry written about video games. The poems are very post-modern and some are simply deconstructionisms of the games they are about. Parents take note- there’s plenty of inappropriate language therein.
Book of Atari Software, The
Stanton, Jeffrey, Robert Wells, Ph.D, Sandra Rochowansky, & Michael Mellin, Ph.D
0-912-00304-9; The Book Company; 1984; $19.95; 430p; PB. Home: 2600, 5200. Notes: Reviews of Atari 8-bit computer software with many B&W screenshots comprise most of the book, with 4 pages on 5 5200 carts, 28 pages on 54 2600 carts, and 4 pages on joysticks, 2 being pictures.
Break a Million at Pac-Man
Zavisca, Ernest, Ph.D. and Gary Beltowski
0-832-62257-5; Delair; 1982; $1.75; 64p; PB. Arcade: Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Man. Notes: Republished in hard cover as Win at Pac-Man.
Buyer's Guide to Home Video Game, A
Dionne, Roger
[ISBN?]; Banbury Books; [Date?]; $[?]; [?]p; [Format?]. Notes: It’s not known if this was ever released. The author wrote of his experience writing the book in Video Games magazine (see periodicals).
Chris Crawford on Game Design
Crawford, Chris
0-131-46099-4; New Riders/Prentice Hall Ptr; 2003; $39.99; 496p; PB. Notes: An update to Chris Crawford's cult classic, The Art of Computer Game Design. Games industry cult leader, Chris Crawford, shares insider design secrets he's learned over the last 25+ years.A mastery of insider wisdom from THE games industry pioneer Chris Crawford, readers will walk away with tips and techniques they can immediately apply.Not a programming book but instead the book a developer or designer needs before they start writing.
Classic 80s Home Video Games
Wicker, Robert P. and Jason W. Brassard
1-574-32573-6; Collector Books; 2007; $24.95; 400p; PB. Notes: This guide takes an in-depth look at the classic consoles, games, accessories, and related merchandise manufactured between the introduction of the Atari VCS in 1977 and the great video game crash of 1984. The great consoles from Atari--the 2600 VCS, 5200 SuperSystem, and 7800 ProSystem are all covered in depth, as well as the amazing Coleco Vision, Intellivision, Odyssey2, and Vectrex gaming systems. More than 2,000 full-color photographs complement detailed listings for loose and boxed items. Consoles, cartridges, manuals, accessories, and related merchandise are listed and priced in an easy-to-use, checklist format. Products are listed by console and manufacturer for easy reference. See Donkey Kong, Frogger, Asteroids, Centipede, Pac-Man, and many other famous stars from the 1980s systems in this must-have title on classic video games. 2008 values.
Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984: A Complete Reference Guide
Weiss, Brett
978-0-7864-3226-4; McFarland Publishing; 2007; $55; 316p; HC. Notes: This reference work provides a comprehensive guide to popular and obscure video games of the 1970s and early 1980s, covering virtually every official U.S. release for programmable home game consoles of the pre–Nintendo NES era. Included are such systems as Arcadia 2001, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, ColecoVision, Fairchild Channel F, Intellivision, Odyssey, Odyssey2, and Vectrex, among seven others. Organized alphabetically by console brand, each chapter includes a history and description of the game system, followed by a complete listing of video games released for that console. Each video game entry includes publisher/developer information and the release year, along with a substantive description and, frequently, the author’s critique. A glossary provides a helpful guide to the classic video game genres and terms referenced throughout the work. An appendix lists a number of “homebrew” titles that have been created by fans and amateur programmers and are available for download or purchase.
Collecting Classic Video Games
Galaxy, Billy
0-764-31456-4; Schiffer Books; 2002; $29.95; 144p; SC. Notes: Questionable price guide for games of the 70s and 80s. Includes over 1,000 color photos of home video games, hand-helds, and memorabilia.
Complete Book of Home Computer, The
Waterford, Van
0-830-62423-6 (HC), 0-8306-2423-6 (PB); TAB Books Inc.; 1982; $[?]; 50p; HC, PB. Home: Astrocade, INTV. Notes: Covers APF Imagination Machine, Apple II & III, Bally Astrocade, Atari 400 & 800, Casio, Vic-20, Exidy Sorcerer, HP-85, IBM PC, Superbrain Video Computer System, Intellivison keyboard add-on, Challenger I and II, Quasar, Panasonic hand-held, PMC-80, TRS-80 I, III and CoCo, RCA single board, Rockwell International single board, Sinclair Z-80, and TI 99/4. Has lots of pictures, tech specs on most systems. Of interest to classic gamers mostly for the pictures and diagrams and info about the APF, the Bally Astrocade with Zgrass Keyboard, and Intellivision Keyboard Component.
Complete Book of Video Games, The
Consumer Guide
0-446-84449-3; Warner Books; 1977; $1.75; 222p; PB. Home: 2600, CHNF, PONG. Notes: Lots of B&W photos. Focuses mainly on dedicated (or "pong-type") systems, but does include photos and articles on the original ODYSSEY and Fairchild. A mention of the "soon to be released" Atari VCS. This is a great book for those who collect dedicated systems. One of the most comprehensive lists (with photos) we’ve seen.
Complete Guide to Conquering Video Games, The: How to Win at Every Game in the Galaxy
Rovin, Jeff
0-020-29970-2 (TPB); Collier Books; 1982; $5.95 (TPB); 408p; Notes: By the editor of Videogaming Illustrated (see periodicals). There also exists a hard cover edition - labelled "special book club edition" on the inside flap of the dust cover. Covers some 200 arcade and home games. Games were grouped by type (i.e. Atari's Surround includes hints on Intellivision's Snafu and Bally's Checkmate) because the hints were virtually the same. Each game types has the following sections: object, rating, strategies, cross-references, and video originals. Each game also has a simple cartoon/illustration to go with it. Also includes chapters on taking care of your video games, computer games, the future of video gaming, an index, and a glossary.
Complete Guide to Electronic Entertainment, The
Blumenthal, Howard J.
0-722-11762-0; New American Library; 1981; $6.95; 214p; PB. Home: 2600, INTV, OD^2. Notes: Concentrates on hand-held videogames as well as home systems such as the Atari 2600, Intellivision, Odyssey, APF, etc. (rbarbaga) The ISBN, page count, and format are from the UK/Australian edition. The U.S. price is an estimate from the UK (1.75 pounds) and Australian ($5.95) prices.
Complete History of Computer and Video Games, The
Glancey, Paul
[ISBN?]; Emap Images; 1996; $[?]; 98p; SC. Notes: From Computer and Video Games magazine. History of video games, as told from a European perspective.
Complete Video Warrior, The
“Mayhem, Major”
0-307-46600-0; Golden Press; 1982; $3.95; 123p; TPB. Notes: Illustrations by Gary Tong. Illustrations are gray scale with red.
Computer Basics
Ellman, Hal
0-131-64574-9; Prentice-Hall; 1983; $[?]; 48p; [Format?]. Notes: Illustrated. Includes index. Surveys the world of computers including industrial robots, personal computers, video games, and microprocessors and considers their effects on our daily lives.
Computers: Pascal, Pong, and Pac-Man
Bly, Robert W.
0-886-93055-3; Banbury / Putnam Pub Group; 1984; $[?]; [?]p; PB. Notes: Illustrated by Len Epstein
Computers and Video Games: How They Work and How to Win
[Author?]; [Publisher?]; [Date?]; $[?]; [?]p; [Format?].
Compute’s Nintendo Secrets
Schwartz, Steven A.
0-874-55234-6; Compute Publications International, Limited; 1990; [$?]; 194p; PB.
Compute’s Nintendo Tips and Tricks
Arnold, J. Douglas
0-874-55246-X; Compute Publications International, Limited; 1991; [$?]; 185p; PB.
Confessions of the Game Doctor
Kunkel, Bill
0-9643848-9-2; Rolenta Press; 2005; $21.00; 180p; PB. Notes: Humorous and insightful look back at the golden age of video games with Electronic Games co-founder Bill Kunkel.
Consumer Microelectronics: Electronic Video Games
[Author?]; [Publisher?]; Creative Strategies; 1976; $[?]; 60p; [Format?]. Notes: Illustrated.
Cult of Mac, The
Kahney, Leander
1-886-41183-2; No Starch Press; 2004; $39.95; 280p; HC.
Defending the Galaxy: The Complete Guide to Videogaming
Rubin, Michael, Carl Winefordner, and Sam Welker
0-937-40417-9; Triad; 1982; $4.95; 224p; TPB. Notes: Brief one-paragraph descrtiption of about 120 games (including some photos). List of 18 books (including his own). Chapter on "Gamers", another on "Video Wear". Three pages of high scores (57 titles); NINE pages of names and addresses of arcades. Two page discussion of home games, with list of titles available. Five page list of terms. illustrations by Jeff Webber and Rudy Young; photography by Michael Rubin.
Defending the Galaxy: The Complete Handbook of Video Gaming
Rubin, Michael, Carl Winefordner, and Sam Welker
0-937-40417-9; Triad; 1982; $4.95; 224p; PB. Notes: Illustrated by Rudy Young and Jeff Webber. Appears to be the same as Defending the Galaxy: The Complete Guide to Videogaming. Yet another book that takes a comical look at video games. What (very little) useful information here can be found in numerous other books.
Difficult Questions About Videogames
Simons, Iain and James Newman
0-954-88250-4; Suppose Partners; 2004; $28.04; 320p; PB.
Digital Deli: The Lunch Group
Ditlea, Steve
0-894-80591-6; New York Workman Publishing; 1984; $[?]; 382p; PB. Notes: He summarizes much of the history of computers in easy-to-read vignettes, discusses pros and cons of cutting-edge technology such as the Commodore 64, the TS-1000 and the line of Apple IIs, and basically is a great read. He also states (correctly) that the first guy to create Pong was Willy Higinbotham in 1958, who "developed a method for simulating tennis" on an analog computer and oscilloscope screen. He writes about the Baer and Bushnell stuff too, but hails Higinbotham as "the grandfather of video games." I'd recommend the book.
Digital Deli: The Comprehensive, User-Lovable Menu of Computer Lore, Culture, Lifestyles and Fancy.
Ditlea, Steve
[ISBN?]; New York Workman Publishing; 1984; $[?]; 382; PB. Notes: 2nd edition of Digital Deli: The Lunch Group
Digital Play: The Interaction of Technology, Culture, and Marketing (Paperback)
Kline, Stephen, Nick Dyer-Witheford, and Greig De Peuter
0-773-52591-2; McGill-Queen's University Press; 2003; $24.95; 424p; PB. Notes: Offers a thorough analysis of the video game industry.
Digital Press Video Games Collector's Guide Classic (2nd edition)
Santulli, Joe
NO ISBN; Digital Press; 1993; $[?]; 64p; unique (spiral bound). Notes: Revised edition. Information about classic systems, including complete lists, values, and insider information for: Atari 2600, 5200, 7800, Bally Astrocade, Colecivision, Emerson Arcadia 2001, Fairchild Channel F, Intellivision, Odyssey 2, and Vectrex.
Digital Press Video Games Collector's Guide Classic (3rd edition)
Santulli, Joe
NO ISBN; Digital Press; 1994; $15.00; 130p; unique (spiral bound). Notes: Revised edition - covering: 2600, 5200, 7800, Arcadia 2001, Astrocade, CV, ChnF, INTV, O2, and Vectrex.
Digital Press Video Games Collector's Guide Classic (4th edition)
Santulli, Joe
NO ISBN; Digital Press; 1996; $15.00; 199p; unique (spiral bound). Notes: Revised edition -covering: 2600, 5200, 7800, Adventurevision, Arcadia 2001, Astrocade, ChnF, CV, INTV, O2, RCA Studio II, Sega Master system (SMS), Turbografx-16, and Vectrex.
Digital Press Video Games Collector’s Guide Classic (5th edition)
Santulli, Joe
NO ISBN; Digital Press; 1998; $20.00; 304p; unique (spiral bound). Notes: Revised edition -covering: 2600, 5200, 7800, Adventurevision, Arcadia 2001, Atari XE, Astrocade, ChnF, CV, INTV, Nintendo NES, O2, RCA Studio II, SMS, Turbografx-16, and Vectrex.
Digital Press Video Games Collector’s Guide Classic (6th edition)
Santulli, Joe
NO ISBN; Digital Press; 2000; $20.00; 328p; PB. Notes: Revised edition - covering: 2600, 5200, 7800, Adventurevision, Arcadia 2001, Atari XE, Astrocade, C-64, ChnF, CV, INTV, NES, O2, RCA Studio II, SMS, Tel-Star Arcade, TI-99/4A, TRS-80 CoCo, Turbografx-16, Vectrex, and VIC-20.
Digital Press Video Games Collector’s Guide Classic (7th edition)
Santulli, Joe
0-970-98070-1; Digital Press; 2002; $25.00; 512p; PB. Notes: Simply the ultimate collector’s guide for classic home systems. Also includes appendices missing from 6th edition.
Digital PressVideo Games Collector’s Guide Advance
Santulli, Joe
0-970-98070-1; Digital Press; 2004; $25.00; 512p; PB. Notes: Debuting in 2004 after years of research behind the scenes, this book picks up where the "Classic" leaves off, beginning with the 16-bit era systems like Genesis, TurboGrafx-16 and Super Nintendo and ending with the Sega Dreamcast and Sony PlayStation.
Digital Retro: The Evolution and Design of the Personal Computer
Laing, Gordon
0-782-14330-X; Sybex; 204; $29.99; 192p; PB. Notes: The photographs are the main reason for owning this book, as the text + facts accompanying them is sparse, and sometimes incorrect.
Dizionario dei VIDEOGAME
Rossi, Fabio
88-11-90422-6; Garzanti Editore s.p.a., Milano; 1993; L.10000; 438 pages. Notes: Written by Fabio Rossi for Domino-Vallardi. It is a dictionary about videogames, with many funny oddities...and some mistakes (eg. the first system is not the "Odissey 100").
Donkey King Activity Book
Marshall, Jo-Ann, Curt Weiss, & Stacy Sherman
NO ISBN; Modern Promotions/Publishers; 1982; $1.95; 64p; TPB. Notes: A juvenile activity book with a Donkey Kong theme. Contains "crosswords, mazes, hidden words, matching, unscrambles, word spells, and more." Uses Pauline as the fair damsel's name. James Sherman & Curt Weiss supplied the art.