The Cult of Mac (Hardcover)

by Leander Kahney (Author) "There are 25 million people around the world who use Macintosh computers, according to Apple..." (more)
Key Phrases: geek culture, color classic, frog design, Steve Jobs, San Francisco, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A fun addition to the coffee-table genre." -- Netsurfer Digest, November 15, 2004 http://www.netsurf.com/nsd/

"Fun book that any Mac addict will delight in displaying if he can keep wiping the drool off the pages." -- MacNN http://reviews.macnn.com/review.php?id=62

"If your favorite Mac geek has every Mac-related doodad, try the compelling new book ‘The Cult of Mac.’" -- San Antonio Express-News, December 12, 2004 http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/stories/MYSA121204.2R.themacguy.103f5b0.html

"Illustrates a culture of Apple Computer devotees still very alive." -- CNET, December 15, 2004 http://news.com.com/Photos+The+art+of+being+a+Mac+fan/2009-1041_3-5491302.html?tag=st.num

"Kahney crawls into every crevice where Mac addicts lurk, with tales (and images) of tattoos, evangelism, hoarding, and Deadhead-style conventions." -- Village Voice, November 30, 2004 http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0448/press.php

"Kahney embarked on his journey to chronicle the weird world of Mac addicts, and I think he nailed it." -- San Francisco Chronicle, December 12, 2004 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/12/12/BUG7BA9Q791.DTL&type=business

"We challenge you to open to any page and not learn something about the Mac’s history or its fanatical devotees." -- MacAddict, January 2005

5/5 rating "A wonderful book to look at and read… put together with loving care by the author." -- MyMac.com http://www.mymac.com/showarticle.php?id=1840

Does an excellent job of documenting the breadth of the community. -- TechWorld, August 3, 2005,

Magazine cover story "We’re all nuts about Apple, but Kahney has found some people at the ragged edge of Mac-fandom." -- MacWorld UK, MacExpo bonus issue, November 2004

Product Description
No other computer inspires devotion like a Mac. The largest and most fervent subculture in computing, Mac fans come in all shapes and sizes, but never waver in their dedication. Like fans of a football team or rock band, Macintosh fans have their own subculture, with clearly defined obsessions and rites of passage.

The Cult of Mac takes you inside the world of the Mac addict. Meet fans who get Mac tattoos and haircuts, people who travel across the globe to attend Apple Store openings, and counterculture icons who love the Mac. Discover the realm where old Macs become aquariums or bongs, origami Macs are made out of paper, and where the Macs of the future are envisioned not by suits in Cupertino, but by Mac heads all over the world. Visit the gatherings of the Mac tribe, from the big trade shows to tongue-in-cheek lookalike contests of Mac celebrities. And explore the little-publicized underbelly of Mac culture, including erotic fiction featuring Steve Jobs and the influence of mind-altering drugs on the Mac’s famous interface.

Whether you’re a casual observer, a mild Mac fan, or a hardcore member of the cult, join journalist and loyal Mac user Leander Kahney as he exposes all sides of Mac fanaticism, from the innocuous to the insane.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: No Starch Press; 1st edition (October 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886411832
• ISBN-13: 978-1886411838
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #85,776 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MyMac.com Book Review, November 28, 2004

By	Tim E Robertson "Publisher MyMac.com" (Battle Creek, Mi United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The Cult of Mac
By Leander Kahney
Publisher: No Starch Press
Price: 39.95 US
ISBN: 1886411832



I review quite a few computer books, most of which are technical how-tos and the like. I read a ton of other books, though, most of which are fiction or historical in nature. But the books reviewed here at MyMac.com are Mac focused books, most of which end up on a shelf before I donate them to the local library. So it was a pleasant surprise to find Leander Kahney's hard cover The Cult of Mac in my mailbox last week.

The Cult of Mac is a beautiful hard cover book with a slipcover. It has color pages throughout, and the text is clean, crisp, and easy to read. Not all books are presented in such loving detail as The Cult of Mac is. It really is a nice total package.

What is The Cult of Mac about? Writer Kahney explores many subjects that can fall into the "Mac Users Cult" umbrella, including subjects such as the Newton, people who collect old Macs, the Macworld Expos, and any other oddball Mac user story that Kahney found interesting.

The term "Cult" is not used in a derogatory manner here, even though the term does carry negative connotations. The term really comes from Kahney's Wired columns in which many of these stories originated. There were a few times while reading a particular story in this book that I remembered reading the same thing, albeit in an abbreviated form, on the Wired.com website.

Kahney hits upon many subjects, though usually the book is focused on the extreme examples or subjects. While each story presented here is true and honest, and Kahney makes no editorial judgments as to whether the behavior is out of the ordinary, he does seem to neglect some of the core Mac user experience and relationship to the platform.

Because this book was written over quite a few years, I found many instances of outdated information. For instance, in one story, Kahney writes about how Stan Flack is the publisher of MacCentral, even though he has not been for three years now. But later in the book, he writes about how MacCentral is owned by Macworld magazine. This suggests that older material was never rewritten or put into historical perspective to when the book was actually published. This is a little sloppy writing or editing in my opinion, but it works very well as a historical reference.

The dated material aside, this is a wonderful book to look at and read. Many of the stories are captivating, and made me want to look up more information online of the people he writes about in the book. Pictures abound in the book, including old Macs, the different paintings of Peter Cohen's head at Macworld Expos, and the fashions people wear at Macworld Tokyo. All good stuff!

This is one book I will set on my bookshelf and pull down from time to time to reread. This isn't a book you have to read in sequential order, as each chapter is an island unto itself. Written with detail in mind, The Cult of Mac is a large and ambitious project that was put together with loving care by the author.

MyMac.com rating: 5 out of 5
http://www.mymac.com/showarticle.php?id=1840

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mac community love letter to itself, November 6, 2004

By	Jack D. Herrington "engineer and author" (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is the first tech-themed coffee table book that I have seen, and it's a nice one. The book is laid out like a thick hard-covered version of Wired magazine. Thick with pictures and clever layout, with relatively sparse text.

There is a little something to love for almost any fringe Macintosh group or phenomenon. There is a section on tattoos, Apple wear, the iPod, the Newton. Another small section links the Mac to pot. And a very cool section shows prototype Macintoshs of the future designed by enthusiasts. Another interesting section analyses Macintoshes in movies and tv, where the good guy is always Mac and the bad guy always uses a PC.

This is not a serious history of the development of the Macintosh. Other books have covered that. The book rarely gets deep into issues. It's about a phenomenon. About defining the phenomenon and rallying behind it, as opposed to decomposing it. It's a fun, self-validating read for Mac lovers.

This would make a perfect Christmas gift for your favorite Mac enthusiast. And it may make a good read for any Windows lover who is puzzled by the cult-like Mac owners.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Visuals, Great Info, GREAT BOOK, April 22, 2005

By	Go Green DM - See all my reviews

Reading the Cult of Mac was the most fun and interesting material I have read in a long time. Ever since buying my own 15" PowerBook G4 last July, I have joined what is nothing short of a cult-like group of people. Parts of the book use images to describe what it is like to be obsessed with the world's best computer company and do so, for the most part, completely void of text. (Please no comments on how Mac users think they're superior because that is ridiculous. P.S.: Where are the `XP fan books?) When I purchased the book, I was under the impression that not only would it portray how some people communicate feelings of their Mac ownership, but also give a fairly detailed description of the history of the legendary computer company. I was wrong. Don't be mistaken, the book does go fairly into depth regarding the computers manufactured by Apple in the company's beginning. It uses its coffee-table-book-like appearance for visual aid, examples and reinforcement of statements and creates a sort of "where are they now" type format; talking about what people are doing to keep first generation Apples alive, etc. However, there is no in depth analysis of the up and coming of the infamous two Steves - Jobs and Wozniak - the father figures of Apple. With the recent buzz over the release of Apple's fourth major installment to their OS X operating system, Tiger (following the line of big cat names), it is easy to see why so many people go to extreme lengths to show off their dedication to Macs. I would recommend this book to Mac users, new and old alike, as well as Windows users. The way I think of it, this book is the perfect way for XP-ers to really see what they're missing, and maybe make them a bit jealous while we're at it!