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The Soul of a New Machine (Modern Library) Reprint Edition

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Tracy Kidder (Author)
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Tracy Kidder (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 155 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0679602613
ISBN-10: 0679602615
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Product Details

  • Series: Modern Library
  • Hardcover: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Modern Library; Reprint edition (June 24, 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0679602615
  • ISBN-13: 978-0679602613
  • Product Dimensions: 5 x 1.1 x 7.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (155 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,104,523 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

103 of 103 people found the following review helpful
A true journalistic classic. Buy it and Read it!
By B. Marold HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER on April 26, 2006
Format: Paperback
`The Soul of a New Machine' is a landmark journalistic book-length essay by then `Atlantic Monthly' writer, Tracy Kidder exploring the development of a new computer in those pre-microcomputer days of 1978. I am delighted to find this book issued as a `classic', as I have read it many times and have been meaning to do a review of it for some time. I cannot think of a better occasion than with the release of this new edition.

When it was first published, the book was a narrative of what was then `modern' technology, where the central processing units (CPU) or `brains' of commercial minicomputers and mainframe computers were built up on large circuit boards from individual, specialized integrated circuit chips, with each chip integrating dozens or hundreds of discrete components. This compares to today's microcomputers where the entire CPU is placed on a single chip incorporating tens of thousands of discrete functions, all taking up no more room than the average credit card. Now, the book is more a history of how this technology was developed, and yet its picture of how people work in teams developing technological projects will probably never go out of date.

The irony of this book is that the computer being developed by the team described in this book, a 32 bit Eclipse computer developed by the Data General corporation, a competitor to the larger and very successful Digital Computer Corporation (Digital), did not really achieve any major breakthrough in technology. While it was intended to compete with a new generation of Digital VAX machines, it ended up being just barely faster than VAX's in a few special tasks.Read more ›
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61 of 64 people found the following review helpful
We Don't do it for the Money
By Amazon Customer on January 10, 2004
Format: Hardcover
Soul of a New Machine is an excellent portrayal of a heroic team of young engineers. What defined the book for me was the sort of mad, beautiful work ethic that the team in the story had. This is the best way I can describe it:
When you're young and you get interested in something, you get _passionate_ about it. Maybe it's because you don't know the importance of money and responsibility yet, but you really get into a sport, or hobby, or any other interest, and you do that hobby or play that sport, you write stories or fix cars, making whatever sacrifices you need to just so you can do this thing you love, not because you want to make money at it, or gain respect or admiration, but because it gives you priceless rewards and satisfaction. And it's a purest love you can have. When you grow up, you get disillusioned, from paying bills and other responsibilities. You lose the spark. You start doubting your interest in what you used to love, be it the mechanic who used to love cars but has grown jaded, or the teacher on a low income who has to deal with unruly students and demanding parents.
The Soul of a New Machine is a throwback to that youthful perhaps almost a bit naive passion. It's about the antithesis of the 9-5, where if the pay is horrible, you couldn't care less, you still work overtime. This pure struggle, the essence of a profession, is what makes the book so great. It's the most archetypal element of a career or profession, the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that only something you put your soul and your sweat and blood into, can give you. In that basement in Data General, this beautiful dream became real in the form of the Eagle minicomputer. If you've felt the kind of spark that drove those young men before, this book will remind you. And if you haven't, maybe this book will kindle a new passion in what you do.
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33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Highly Recommended - Gripping, Exciting true story
By J. Turner on October 19, 2001
Format: Hardcover
I first read this book when I was in high school. I was captivated and enthralled by the story, and I can unabashedly state that it helped refine and accelerate my interest in computer science and engineering.
Tracy Kidder captures a technical world and gives a clear picture at the tremendous challenges of building a state of the art computer system, that must be backwards compatible with legacy architecture, all while doing it in an easy to read manner (and a brilliant original perspective).
It is a heroic, true life story. It was (and still is) one of my all-time favorite books.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Parallels...
By AJ Runner on December 12, 2000
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
This books is a story of building a computer, from start to finish, told in the form of an epic journey. It goes in depth on the people involved, strategy used, the company politics and how they all integrated into and affected the project.
Being in a small software organization for the last 4 years and having experience a tripling in size and about the same in revenue, it was very easy for me to find parallels to my company's growth, the people and the experiences that were at Data General when the computer was built. Here are some of the (summed up briefly) that I found:
1. Speech Period (pep ralley) 2. Leader becoming more and more distant 3. Need to be doing something interesting 4. Mushroom Theory of Management (put them in the dark, feed them s*$# and watch them grow). 5. Everyone burns out 6. All of the sudden, its just a job 7. The gunslinger 8. Management has changed and its no longer the same place ... and many others
I think that anyone reading the book curious of parallels in businesses (regardless of what they do), would find this book a good source of info.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Five Stars

Great book, strongly recommended.

Published 8 days ago by Paul T. Juno
one of the best books ever written about the men who started the...

One of the best books written. This must be at least my fourth copy. I keep telling people how good it is and loaning it out and it doesn't come back. Read more

Published 14 days ago by j l osborne
Five Stars

Wonderful read.

Published 16 days ago by Mrs_M
Workaholic problem-solving engineers

A classic. Insight (written by a non-technologist) into the workaholic nature of salaried technologists and Silicon Valley engineers (though the activity was far away from there... Read more

Published 19 days ago by D. Arnett
Great book

I worked at Data General in the years after this was written before the company went the way of all the super minicomputer companies. Read more

Published 29 days ago by Annette L.
Insipirational, for technologists who think they might want to change...

Just purchased for my son. This book changed my life as a budding computer architect / information system engineer when I read it ca. 1984.

Published 1 month ago by Todd Rockoff
I agree with Librum - must have been a slow year for the Pulitizer...

I pretty much agree with Librum's 2 star review "Slow Year for the Pulitzer Committee"
I was in Data Processing in 1981 and can see how a story like this could have... Read more

Published 1 month ago by RoyHobbs
Four Stars

Liked the insight into a bygone era.

Published 1 month ago by DAS
BRINGS BACK THE THRILL!

Read this when it first came out, back when I was a programmer for 'CVS' in Sacramento.
Re-reading it has brought back fond memories & the thrill of being at the forefront of... Read more

Published 1 month ago by EROZ
Interesting, but...

Decent story. Timeline and arc are hard to follow at times. Definitely worth the read for anyome with an interest in that era of computing.

Published 1 month ago by Amazon Customer

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