Atari Inc.: Business is Fun

Having watched Easy to Learn, Hard to Master I was fascinated to learn more about Atari. This literally has everything I wanted to know in it. Incredible detail to the point that I don't know how they got it all. Fantastic. Really enjoying reading it. Thank you

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I remember a lot of the Atari history and have owned a number of Atari computers and enjoyed reading about their creation. Lots of stories, well constructed narrative with good timeline etc. Nearly 800 pages (text plus large picture selections at ends of chapters), this book is certainly comprehensive. While quite readable it could have done with firmer editorial hand (some of the writing is sloppy). Also the largest flaw is the disregard with which the pictures were reproduced. Potentially the best part of the book, the large selection of photographs are very poorly reproduced. I can understand that for cost reasons only black and white images were used but I do think that within this constraint the pictures could still have been better. I would still highly recommend the book to those interested in Atari history and would put it on a par with Brian Bagnall's history of Commodore (2nd edition) although the production quality of that book is far superior.

I was waiting for this to come out since months and the book was well worth it. Hundreds of pages of facts, anecdotes, documents and pictures (of both well known products and of rare prototypes etc) make this the definitive Atari book for serious game historians and fans. B&W pictures are the only flaw I can think of it right now, it really is a great compendium of the history of this great company.

Great book, enjoying, black n white print. easy to read. a lot of pictures. 10 ten for me. i hope they will come back again, with phones or something else

Great Book But I expected a different editing, it was supposed to be a color version, but it wasn't. Too bad

This 796 page tome is full of the history of Atari and it's pre-history from the l968 up to the Tramiel acquisition of Atari from Warner Communications in 1983. I was one of the few survivors that worked for both the Warner Communications Atari (2 years) and the Tramiel Atari (6 years). My awareness and knowledge of what was happening in the USA within Atari prior to the acquisition was sketchy both at the time and even more so 30 years later. From what I read in this book, we in Atari UK were not aware of half the products and problems developing in Atari Inc. across the pond. I can't really judge the completeness and accuracy of the story concerning the Warner Atari, but for me it filled in a lot of the gaps. Now, I can't wait for the sequel Atari Corporation - Business Is War. A great read!

My other half asked for this as a Father's Day gift. On first viewing it it's a bit of a tomb, but full of fantastic content. He owns a few of these historical arcade books but he's actually read this from cover to cover and is really enjoying it. Superb gift for the retro gamer geek.

Fascinating read, well worth the money!

A compendium of inside stories and info from Atari's glory years of the 70s and early 80s.

Illustrations en noir et blanc et pas toujours placées à bon escient. Devrait faire l'objet d'une version 2.0

I was totally blown away by the scope and depth of this book. A must have for any classic video game fan, this is a complete history of Atari from it's inception up until it was sold by Warner communications. Every product (both the big hits and the turkeys) is covered with descriptions of its development as well as plenty of photographs and even engineering notes in some cases. The authors did an amazing job of compiling interviews with former Atari employees and producing a compelling narative that takes you through the company's tumultous past. More than just a timeline of events and game releases, the book also paints a vivid picture of the key people at Atari and the business dealings (and double-dealings) that shaped the beginnings of the home computer revolution. Everthing is told here, and Atari's story is full of twists and turns. The company's spectacular rise and fall is well known, but this book tells the tale in a way that fills in the missing pieces and gives the facts straight from the people who were there. Those who read and enjoyed the Steve Jobs biography would do well to give this a read - Atari may not resonate with consumers of today the way that Apple does, but both have similar roots. It isn't much of a stretch to say that had things gone a bit differently, we'd be using Atari iphones today.

Se si conoscono nostalgici cresciuti a pane e anni '80 o che vogliono studiare fino all'ultimo dettaglio cosa c'è dietro l'avventura di un'azienda che ha segnato la storia del videogioco fin dalle sue origini questo libro è uno dei regali più da fare...o da farsi! Quasi ottocento pagine ricche di dettagli e frutto di un lungo e paziente lavoro di ricerca degli autori, corredato da foto e interviste ai tantissimi che hanno segnato la storia e l'ascesa dell'Atari. Unico difetto? Tutte le foto in bianco e nero. Ma davvero per meno di venti euro ci si vuole lamentare di questo?

C'est sans aucun doute le livre le plus complet que vous pourrez trouvez sur Atari (la société avant le rachat de Tramiel, c'est à dire jusqu'en 1984). Et je salue l'énorme travail de recherche et de documentation qu'on fait les deux auteurs. Cependant il n'est pas exempt de tout défauts. Loin de là. La première chose qui me gène c'est le style, il rend la lecture vraiment difficile et presque pénible. Mon autre grand reproche est le parti prit des auteurs : ils ont choisis de raconter une histoire d'Atari en diminuant constamment les actions et décisions de Nolan Bushnell (le co-fondateur de la société). À tel point qu'on a l'impression qu'ils ont quelque chose contre lui ! Peut-être on t-ils succombés à cette mode de vouloir démystifier certains personnages de l'industrie des nouvelles technologies comme c'est le cas dans le film de Dany Boyle sur Steve Jobs (2015) ou celui de David Fincher sur Mark Zuckerberg (The Social Network, 2010). Choisir un angle aussi critique et à totalement charge envers Nolan Bushnell est dommage. Parce c'est manquer d'objectivité. Alors bien sur, il fut une époque ou Nolan Bushnell a été mit sur un piédestal. Les médias lui ont attribués des choses qu'il n'avaient pas faite. Cependant il est malgré tout le personnage central de l'histoire d'Atari ainsi que le principal responsable de son succès lors de ses premières années. Avec tous ses défauts et qualités, Bushnell est un personnage haut en couleur. Un livre sur Atari devrait essayer de tirer parti de ça. Alors est-ce que je vous recommanderais ce livre ? Seulement pour les purs passionnés et les historiens du jeu vidéo qui recherchent des infos très précises sur Atari. Ils devront bien faire attention de faire le tri parmi certaines affirmations des auteurs. Ils devront aussi prendre du recul par rapport au portrait de Nolan Bushnell. Pour les autres... passez votre chemin, il faut vraiment être un inconditionnel d'Atari pour se lancer dans ce livre. Le style, les disgressions, le manque de clarté, de nombreux détails parfois inutiles, rendent sa lecture vraiment rebutante.