What books are similar to these?

October 24, 2016 11:31 AM

I really enjoy reading semi-novel style books on the story of companies and technology. Do you have any recommendations for me?

Previously I've enjoyed:

1. Almost Perfect - By W E Peterson (Wordperfect Corp)
2. Showstopper! - On the creation of Windows NT
3. I sing the body electronic - Book on creation of Encarta
4. One flew over the cuckoo's nest - Stoll's book on hacking and tracking down hackers
5. Soul of a new machine - AT creation
6. Sufing the Net - By JC Herz

I'm looking for recommendations on books with a similar vibe (not necessarily computer related). I prefer books on the creation of specific products rather than general technologies or biographies. Would you have any pointers?

posted by gadha to Grab Bag (10 answers total)

I read The Reckoning when it was still fairly recent. But I think this story of American vs Japanese car manufacturers is still riveting.
posted by angiep at 11:44 AM on October 24, 2016

You might enjoy The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger.

I found it to be very well written, accessible and thorough.
posted by Altomentis at 12:00 PM on October 24, 2016

I read First Light about the Hale telescope and the people who ran it based on a metafilter recommendation. It's fantastic!
posted by merocet at 12:23 PM on October 24, 2016

Oh hey I am in Soul of a New Machine!

I like these books too.

- The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation
- Bringing Down the House : The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions
- Spam: A Shadow History of the Internet
- Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground
posted by jessamyn at 12:24 PM on October 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

Although it's biased, Console Wars was entertaining. It was about the battle for videogame console dominance between Nintendo and Sega in the late 80's - early 90's.
posted by cleverevans at 12:29 PM on October 24, 2016

Apollo 13 - The Flight That Failed
The Right Stuff
The Double Helix
posted by SemiSalt at 2:28 PM on October 24, 2016

If you want to extend to actual novels about corporations, Richard Powers' Gain is written in the style of a business history.
posted by thomas j wise at 2:33 PM on October 24, 2016

Creativity Inc about Pixar and lessons learnt therein
posted by KateViolet at 2:38 PM on October 24, 2016

I've got a correction, not a suggestions, sorry: your #4 Is "The Cuckoo's Egg"
posted by Sunburnt at 4:18 PM on October 24, 2016

If you enjoyed The Soul of a New Machine (and I have enjoyed it, immensely, several times) you may enjoy Hackers, as well as Fire In The Valley. Both are books about tech, but excellent explorations of their particular subjects.
posted by lhauser at 7:08 PM on October 24, 2016