The Computers That Made Britain

The home computer revolution of the 1980s

Hardcover, 295 pages

English language

Published by Raspberry Pi Press.

ISBN:
978-1-912047-85-7
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4 stars (3 reviews)

The home computer boom of the 1980s brought with it now iconic machines such as the ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, and Commodore 64. Those machines would inspire a generation. The Computers That Made Britain tells the story of 19 of those computers – and what happened behind the scenes.

With dozens of new interviews, discover the tales of missed deadlines, technical faults, business interference, and the unheralded geniuses who brought to the UK everything from the Dragon 32 and ZX81, to the Amstrad CPC 464 and Commodore Amiga.

1 edition

A well-researched and personal history of home computing in Britain

4 stars

This is not your run-of-the-mill retro home computer book. There are no colourful photographs, no lists of must-have games, no lists of specifications. This book is about the companies and the people behind them who made these machines. Their stories of success and failure. It is a nice mix of oral history and well-researched history. Each system, and therefore each company, is portrayed in a well told story. For me it was an interesting read, especially the chapters on those systems that were rarely found outside the UK: Research Machines 380Z, the BBC Micro line or Acorn's Archimedes. I highly recommend this book.