Picture 1 of 1
Gallery
Picture 1 of 1
Have one to sell?
The Mysterious Affair at Olivetti : IBM, the CIA, and the Cold War Conspiracy to
US $19.95
ApproximatelyAU $30.82
Condition:
Brand new
A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. See the seller's listing for full details.
- Buy It NowThe Mysterious Affair at Olivetti : IBM, the CIA, and the Cold War Conspiracy to
Oops! Looks like we're having trouble connecting to our server.
Refresh your browser window to try again.
Postage:
US $5.97 (approx. AU $9.22) USPS Media MailTM.
Located in: Richmond, Virginia, United States
Delivery:
Estimated between Sat, 9 Aug and Thu, 14 Aug to 94104
Returns:
30-day returns. Buyer pays for return postage. If you use an eBay postage label, it will be deducted from your refund amount.
Payments:
Shop with confidence
Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
eBay item number:256468903012
Item specifics
- Condition
- ISBN
- 9780451493651
About this product
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
ISBN-10
0451493656
ISBN-13
9780451493651
eBay Product ID (ePID)
15038311923
Product Key Features
Book Title
Mysterious Affair at Olivetti : IBM, the CIA, and the Cold War Conspiracy to Shut down Production of the World's First Desktop Computer
Number of Pages
320 Pages
Language
English
Topic
Industries / Computers & Information Technology, Espionage, Intelligence & Espionage, Inventions, Computer Science, Corporate & Business History
Publication Year
2019
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Political Science, Computers, True Crime, Technology & Engineering, Business & Economics
Format
Hardcover
Dimensions
Item Height
1 in
Item Weight
22.9 Oz
Item Length
9.5 in
Item Width
6.5 in
Additional Product Features
Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2018-059556
Reviews
"Tantalizing ... colorful ... Secrest marshals an impressive array of circumstantial evidence encompassing the shadowy web of business, politics, and espionage that ensnared postwar Italy." -- The New Yorker "The first English-language history of the legendary Italian firm and a gripping account of its little-known race to develop the world's first dekstop computer ... Secrest is an engaging guide ... Riveting." --Julian Lucas, Harper's "Meryle Secrest is a master biographer ... a Cold War mystery replete with industrial history and espionage, international intrigue, early death, and the creation of the world's first desktop computer ... surprisingly relevant to the conversation we are having today about the nature of electronic machines and industrial development, art, and design ... a vital piece of almost lost industrial and engineering history." --Porchlight "Books to Watch" "A little-known slice of computer history in [Secrest's] fascinating account of the Italian typewriter company Olivetti, which created the first desktop computer ... a riveting look at an ambitious and inventive family deserving wider attention." -- Publishers Weekly
TitleLeading
The
Dewey Edition
23
Dewey Decimal
338.7
Synopsis
The never-before-told true account of the design and development of the first desktop computer by the world's most famous high-styled typewriter company, more than a decade before the arrival of the Osborne 1, the Apple 1, the first Intel microprocessor, and IBM's PC5150. The human, business, design, engineering, cold war, and tech story of how the Olivetti company came to be, how it survived two world wars and brought a ravaged Italy back to life, how after it mastered the typewriter business with the famous "Olivetti touch," it entered the new, fierce electronics race; how its first desktop compter, the P101, came to be; how, within eighteen months, it had caught up with, and surpassed, IBM, the American giant that by then had become an arm of the American government, developing advanced weapon systems; Olivetti putting its own mainframe computer on the market with its desktop prototype, selling 40,000 units, including to NASA for its lunar landings. How Olivetti made inroads into the US market by taking control of Underwood of Hartford CT as an assembly plant for Olivetti's own typewriters and future miniaturized personal computers; how a week after Olivetti purchased Underwood, the US government filed an antitrust suit to try to stop it; how Adriano Olivetti, the legendary idealist, socialist, visionary, heir to the company founded by his father, built the company into a fantastical dynasty--factories, offices, satellite buildings spread over more than fifty acres--while on a train headed for Switzerland in 1960 for supposed meetings and then to Hartford, never arrived, dying suddenly of a heart attack at fifty-eight . . . how eighteen months later, his brilliant young engineer, who had assembled Olivetti's superb team of electronic engineers, was killed, as well, in a suspicious car crash, and how the Olivetti company and the P101 came to its insidious and shocking end., The never-before-told true account of the design and development of the first desktop computer by the world's most famous high-styled typewriter company, more than a decade before the arrival of the Osborne 1, the Apple 1, the first Intel microprocessor, and IBM's PC5150. The human, business, design, engineering, cold war, and tech story of how the Olivetti company came to be, how it survived two world wars and brought a ravaged Italy back to life, how after it mastered the typewriter business with the famous Olivetti touch, it entered the new, fierce electronics race; how its first desktop compter, the P101, came to be; how, within eighteen months, it had caught up with, and surpassed, IBM, the American giant that by then had become an arm of the American government, developing advanced weapon systems; Olivetti putting its own mainframe computer on the market with its desktop prototype, selling 40,000 units, including to NASA for its lunar landings. How Olivetti made inroads into the US market by taking control of Underwood of Hartford CT as an assembly plant for Olivetti's own typewriters and future miniaturized personal computers; how a week after Olivetti purchased Underwood, the US government filed an antitrust suit to try to stop it; how Adriano Olivetti, the legendary idealist, socialist, visionary, heir to the company founded by his father, built the company into a fantastical dynasty--factories, offices, satellite buildings spread over more than fifty acres--while on a train headed for Switzerland in 1960 for supposed meetings and then to Hartford, never arrived, dying suddenly of a heart attack at fifty-eight . . . how eighteen months later, his brilliant young engineer, who had assembled Olivetti's superb team of electronic engineers, was killed, as well, in a suspicious car crash, and how the Olivetti company and the P101 came to its insidious and shocking end.
LC Classification Number
HD9696.2.I82S43 2019
Item description from the seller
Seller feedback (207)
- r***e (10)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseWell wrapped in paper for extra secure packing in envelope. As described and excellent shipping time. I would have left a re Jew sooner but I was traveling for a month.
- n***0 (102)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseDefinitely recommend this seller — book was in excellent condition as advertised and seller shipped promptly and wrapped it very well — I would definitely buy from this seller again.
- r***9 (84)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseBook in condition advertised, quick shipping and a great value, I highly recommend this seller.
Product ratings and reviews
Most relevant reviews
- 18 Apr, 2024
Best book of the year
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-ownedSold by: thrift.books
- 30 Dec, 2023
Remembering Olivetti’s design innovations
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-ownedSold by: bellwetherbooks_usa
More to explore:
- War Comics,
- Star Wars Fiction War Fiction & Books,
- Star Wars Fiction Books,
- Mystery Fiction Fiction & Books,
- Fiction War Fiction & Books,
- Non-Fiction War Fiction & Books,
- Star Wars Comics, Graphic Novels & TPBs,
- Journey into Mystery Comics, Graphic Comic Books,
- Secret Wars II Comics, Graphic Novels & TPBs,
- Star Wars Comics, Graphic Comic Books
Seller feedback (207)
- r***e (10)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseWell wrapped in paper for extra secure packing in envelope. As described and excellent shipping time. I would have left a re Jew sooner but I was traveling for a month.
- n***0 (102)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseDefinitely recommend this seller — book was in excellent condition as advertised and seller shipped promptly and wrapped it very well — I would definitely buy from this seller again.
- r***9 (84)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseBook in condition advertised, quick shipping and a great value, I highly recommend this seller.