Ask HN: Is there a good book on IT/Silicon Valley history?

10 points by sebst ↗ HN
Whenever I read about a technology company or a smart mind in the field, and I surf Wikipedia, I am most often left with a feeling of a very small tech world: some of the most interesting technology we use today has been invented in a garage and then been acquired by a "big tech corporation" which itself was likely been founded in another garage. And people involved in those fields are well known amongst each other. Of course, the valley plays a big role in that field which leads to even fewer distances between the "stories" and thus, more interconnection between them.

Since I love to read inspiring biographies, I wonder if there is a biography of the industry-a book about the who is who of tech and/or the valley which would make a delightful and inspiring read.

Any ideas?

11 comments

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Accidental Empires
Currently reading this book. Although not a great fit for "history", but it is a great story kind of book with a few good points of advice here and there.
_Fire In The Valley_, by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine.
Nerds 2.0.1, by Stephen Segaller
Not a book but excellent history nontheless "Triumph of the Nerds" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115398/
Another great video is American Experience: Silicon Valley

One oldie but goodie is Silicon Valley Fever (1984) - which goes into how the how things happened to make it the innovation machine for the 60s-80s (electronics, video games, early computers - pre-internet)

Not a book, but the computer history museum has a silicon valley exhibit.
Well Patrick Collision, the founder of Stripe has an interest in silicon valley history. He maintains a list of recommended books on this topics on his personal website here- https://patrickcollison.com/svhistory