“Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution”
By Steven Levy
Published by O’Reilly Media, Inc., May 2010
ISBN-13: 9781449388393 (25th Anniv. Ed)
This 25th anniversary edition of Steven Levy’s classic book traces the exploits of the computer revolution’s original hackers — those brilliant and eccentric nerds from the late 1950s through the early ’80s who took risks, bent the rules, and pushed the world in a radical new direction. With updated material from noteworthy hackers such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Stallman, and Steve Wozniak, Hackers is a fascinating story that begins in early computer research labs and leads to the first home computers.
“In the 25 years since Hackers was originally published, I have been approached by countless readers who have told me that the the book changed their outlook on computing and creativity—and many said it changed their lives! I’m thrilled that the O’Reilly edition will reach a new audience to learn about The Hacker Ethic and the amazing hackers who practices it, and changed the world,” writes Levy, senior writer for Wired.
Levy profiles the imaginative brainiacs who found clever and unorthodox solutions to computer engineering problems. They had a shared sense of values, known as “the hacker ethic,” that still thrives today. Hackers captures a seminal period in recent history when underground activities blazed a trail for today’s digital world, from MIT students finagling access to clunky computer-card machines to the DIY culture that spawned the Altair and the Apple II.
Read More and Buy the Book (Publisher) »
1st Edition (Amazon)(Nov. 1985) »
25th Anniversary Edition (Amazon)(May 2010) »
Press Release for 2010 25th Anniversary Edition »
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About the Author:
Steven Levy is editor at large at Wired. Previous positions include editor in chief at Backchannel; and chief technology writer and a senior editor for Newsweek. In early 2020, his book “Facebook: The Inside Story” will appear, the product of over three years studying the company, which granted unprecedented access to its employees and executives. Levy has written previous seven books and has had articles published in Harper’s, Macworld, The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Premiere, and Rolling Stone. Steven has won several awards during his 30+ years of writing about technology, including Hackers, which PC Magazine named the best Sci-Tech book written in the last twenty years and, Crypto, which won the grand eBook prize at the 2001 Frankfurt Book festival. “In the Plex,” the definitive book on Google, was named the Best Business Book of 2011 on both Amazon and Audible.
See also:
- “Steven Levy Talks about Hackers Heroes of the Computer Revolution – 25th Anniversary Edition”
O’Reilly, posted June 26, 2010 – Dale Dougherty, editor and publisher of MAKE magazine interviews Steven Levy senior writer for Wired Magazine about Hackers Heroes of the Computer Revolution – 25th Anniversary Edition. Levy’s classic book about the original hackers of the computer revolution is now available in a special 25th anniversary edition, with updated material from noteworthy hackers such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Stallman, and Steve Wozniak. Hackers traces the exploits of innovators from the research labs in the late 1950s to the rise of the home computer in the mid-1980s. It’s a fascinating story for everyone interested in this seminal period in history. - “DEF CON 19 – Steven Levy – We Owe it All to the Hackers”
DEFCONConference, posted Nov. 1, 2013 – WE OWE IT ALL TO THE HACKERS The same spirit that drives the modern hackers today was the impetus to move digital technology into the mainstream of our lives. Learning about the creativeness and chutzpah of the early hackers–and understanding their implicit advocacy of openness and freedom–puts the tech landscape of today into perspective. [The story of how Steven Levy wrote “Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution.”]
