APPLE COMPUTER INC. DOS Version 3.2: Disk Operating System Instructional and Reference Manual. Together with: Applesoft II: BASIC Programming Reference Manual.

Cupertino, California: Apple Computer Inc., 1978–1979. Two volumes, spiral-bound as issued, large 4to.

(1) DOS Version 3.2 Manual: [c. 150 pp.]; green and white printed wrappers, wire-spiral binding.

(2) Applesoft II BASIC Programming Reference Manual: [c. 160 pp.]; matching format and binding.

Both manuals internally complete, illustrated throughout with tables, command summaries, and programming references. Includes quick-reference conversion charts (hexadecimal/decimal), command indices, and system operation guides.

Very good overall. Light wear, creasing, and surface scuffing to covers; minor soiling consistent with use. Internally clean and bright, bindings sound. A well-preserved working set.

A highly characteristic survival from the formative years of personal computing. An increasingly collectible pairing of original Apple II system manuals, issued at the dawn of the personal computing revolution. These utilitarian spiral-bound guides were intended for active use by early adopters—programmers, hobbyists, and businesses—rather than for preservation, and consequently are now far scarcer than the machines themselves.

The DOS 3.2 manual documents Apple’s early disk operating system, representing a transitional moment before the more widely adopted DOS 3.3. The Applesoft II manual, meanwhile, reflects the shift to Microsoft’s floating-point BASIC interpreter, marking a critical evolution in usability and computational capability on the Apple II platform.

Together, the pair offer a vivid snapshot of late-1970s computing culture: hands-on, experimental, and deeply technical. The inclusion of command summaries, memory handling instructions, and conversion tables underscores the extent to which users were expected to engage directly with machine-level processes.

Early Apple documentation—particularly complete and original working manuals—has seen growing demand alongside the broader reassessment of computing history as a collectible field. Comparable material is increasingly sought after by collectors of:

The Apple Computer Inc. Apple II (introduced 1977) was among the first highly successful mass-produced personal computers, helping to define the home computing market.
Applesoft BASIC, developed in partnership with Microsoft, replaced earlier Integer BASIC and enabled floating-point arithmetic, significantly expanding programming capability.
Spiral-bound manuals such as these were designed for desk use and were typically discarded after obsolescence, making surviving examples—especially in matched sets—comparatively scarce.

[WR Tech]