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STARTUP

Name: STARTUP
Author: Jerry Kaplan
ISBN: 0-395-71133-9

A SILICON VALLEY ADVENTURE

by Jerry Kaplan ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 3, 1995

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Kaplan, the intrepid founder of a company that was devoted, in every sense of the word, to a new kind of computer, chronicles his hazardous adventures in darkest Silicon Valley. The pen may be mightier than the sword, but will it beat a computer keyboard? Starting with the notion that a penpoint, rather than a keyboard, is the way to bring zillions of new users to computers, Kaplan (who was trained in computational linguistics) brings us along for the startup of a corporation called GO, which intended to develop a new breed of hand-held computer. We go along with the increasingly byzantine business contortions needed to attract regular infusions of capital. Upwards of $75 million was spent. The product never sold. The venture capitalists who supplied much of the money were not a bad bunch, but the business partners (including biggies like AT&T and IBM) exercised their inherent rights, too, and many of the rights were conflicting. Lenders squeezed, suppliers defaulted. Mitchell Kapor of Lotus was skittish, John Sculley of Apple was fractious, and Bill Gates of Microsoft was intractable. Of course, as the odds would have it, GO stopped. The structure that Kaplan built, with his gang of dedicated young colleagues, finally imploded for a number of reasons. Foremost, surely: Nobody really wanted a portable computer driven by handwriting; that, and being beset by the big boys. ``The good news,'' said one participant, ``is that we have Microsoft on the run. The bad news is that they're running in our direction.'' For the industry, it's not an unusual tale, but Kaplan tells it with novelistic style replete with races against the clock and sharp character sketches. There are human touches, like the death of the author's father and his too-cute marriage proposal (using a computer, of course). An insider's well-written story of the death of a new machine, probably composed on a keyboard. (8 pages b&w photos, not seen)

Pub Date: May 3, 1995

ISBN: 0-395-71133-9

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1995

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.