GOULD, William. Apple.

(Business in Action Series). Bath: Cherrytree Press Ltd, 1997. Illustrated quarto. Original pictorial laminated boards. A clean and bright copy with light handling wear to the boards; internally fresh.

A concise illustrated study of the rise of Apple Inc., written for the Business in Action educational series and aimed at introducing students to the development of modern technology companies. The work traces Apple’s origins in the 1970s through the partnership of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, examining the early success of the Apple II, the influence of venture capitalist Mike Markkula, and the technological and marketing breakthroughs that helped establish Apple as a major force in personal computing.

Particular attention is given to the development and cultural impact of the Macintosh, described on the cover as “the computer that changed everything.” The book also discusses Apple’s famous advertising campaigns—including the celebrated “1984” Super Bowl commercial—alongside the company’s design philosophy and expansion during the personal-computer revolution.

Illustrated throughout with contemporary photographs, advertising material, and diagrams explaining corporate structure, computing technology, and business strategy, the volume forms part of a late-1990s educational series designed to explain influential modern corporations to younger readers.

Today such titles offer an interesting snapshot of how the technology industry—and Apple in particular—was interpreted in the years before the company’s dramatic reinvention in the early 2000s.

[WR Tech]