What do you think?
Rate this book
The Story of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum in Pixels
In 1982 Sinclair Research Ltd, headed up by Clive Sinclair, launched the ZX Spectrum in the United Kingdom. This unassuming little 8-bit computer marked a turning point for the fortunes of the company and in turn sparked new hardware and software industries that made overnight celebrities of bedroom coders, such as Matthew Smith and Jonathan 'Joffa' Smith. The ZX Spectrum was a much loved phenomenon which continues to be celebrated to this day. This book takes the reader back to the dawn of the computer revolution, showcasing the games and hardware through imagery and personal narrative.
'It made a generation who can code' - MJ Hibbett
'It made a generation who can code' - MJ Hibbett
236 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
2 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 29, 2023
48K Memories
A generous helping of some warm fuzzy nostalgia here as we dive into the memories and the games of the ZX Spectrum. Once upon a time a very young version of myself received one of these machines as a hand-me-down as we couldn't afford the consoles of the time. This was long after the heyday of the Spectrum, somewhere in the mid 90's where far more powerful and capable hardware had taken over. Still I look back on my Spectrum (not to mention my Amstrad CPC 464) with no small amount of warmth and appreciation. This book very much comes from the same kind of place, a place that recognises this modest machine for what it was and what it was capable of.
A number of notable figures give their recollections on their part in either making the hardware or the games themselves and you get a real sense of the bedroom coding scene as it existed back in the 1980's, what today we would probably refer to as an indie scene. This was hardware that was a lot more open for people to tinker with and program for. Under the unassuming exterior was a machine that would give a lot of big names their start in the videogame industry.
To modern eyes it must seem all a bit prehistoric when you see the screenshots but at the same time the writing here really gave me an appreciation of what these people were able to do under some pretty tight constraints. There was a premium on space that demanded a certain kind of mad improvised ingenuity to work around and within it. This book is a salute to some very capable minds who had an idea and set about making it a reality. There's a cheerful nostalgia at play here that never obscures just how difficult it must have been at times to make it all work.
It's not an exhaustive encyclopedia of all things Spectrum but all the big names are featured throughout. Dizzy, The Way of the Exploding Fist (what a name for a game!), Knight Lore, Daley Thomson's Decathlon and many others that will ring a bell for those who had the patience to load a cassette into a tape deck and wait 5-10 minutes for a game to load whilst flashing lights and dial-up modem noises blared from the system. You really had to be there to look back on that bit fondly.
Rounding off the package here is a selection of print adverts and related paraphernalia from the magazines of the time that again give a real sense of the time and place in which this machine existed. Overall it's an enjoyable read that doesn't get too bogged down in the detail, that praises its achievements without overlooking its shortcomings and gives kudos where it is most assuredly deserved. It wasn't a big or flashy machine and its history likewise is not the most bombastic of stories. Nonetheless it is an important story that gets its moment here and even if you only have a passing interest in what was a particularly productive period of the British video game industry of the 1980's you will get something out of this. Recommended.
A generous helping of some warm fuzzy nostalgia here as we dive into the memories and the games of the ZX Spectrum. Once upon a time a very young version of myself received one of these machines as a hand-me-down as we couldn't afford the consoles of the time. This was long after the heyday of the Spectrum, somewhere in the mid 90's where far more powerful and capable hardware had taken over. Still I look back on my Spectrum (not to mention my Amstrad CPC 464) with no small amount of warmth and appreciation. This book very much comes from the same kind of place, a place that recognises this modest machine for what it was and what it was capable of.
A number of notable figures give their recollections on their part in either making the hardware or the games themselves and you get a real sense of the bedroom coding scene as it existed back in the 1980's, what today we would probably refer to as an indie scene. This was hardware that was a lot more open for people to tinker with and program for. Under the unassuming exterior was a machine that would give a lot of big names their start in the videogame industry.
To modern eyes it must seem all a bit prehistoric when you see the screenshots but at the same time the writing here really gave me an appreciation of what these people were able to do under some pretty tight constraints. There was a premium on space that demanded a certain kind of mad improvised ingenuity to work around and within it. This book is a salute to some very capable minds who had an idea and set about making it a reality. There's a cheerful nostalgia at play here that never obscures just how difficult it must have been at times to make it all work.
It's not an exhaustive encyclopedia of all things Spectrum but all the big names are featured throughout. Dizzy, The Way of the Exploding Fist (what a name for a game!), Knight Lore, Daley Thomson's Decathlon and many others that will ring a bell for those who had the patience to load a cassette into a tape deck and wait 5-10 minutes for a game to load whilst flashing lights and dial-up modem noises blared from the system. You really had to be there to look back on that bit fondly.
Rounding off the package here is a selection of print adverts and related paraphernalia from the magazines of the time that again give a real sense of the time and place in which this machine existed. Overall it's an enjoyable read that doesn't get too bogged down in the detail, that praises its achievements without overlooking its shortcomings and gives kudos where it is most assuredly deserved. It wasn't a big or flashy machine and its history likewise is not the most bombastic of stories. Nonetheless it is an important story that gets its moment here and even if you only have a passing interest in what was a particularly productive period of the British video game industry of the 1980's you will get something out of this. Recommended.
July 23, 2019
Starting with a positive, the final section of the book covering games programmers and other people associated with the ZX Spectrum is worth a read, but the majority of the book, possibly three quarters is just filler.
There are so many books and magazines on old computers and computer games these days that I really don’t think you can get away with writing a paragraph on each game included here and showing a few screenshots. Especially when the majority of the book contains this content. You will learn nothing and if you are reading the book the chances are you know these games anyway and want more facts and details.
I’ve given similar such comments on other books so maybe my interest in the subject is different to the intended ordinance. Who knows?
There are so many books and magazines on old computers and computer games these days that I really don’t think you can get away with writing a paragraph on each game included here and showing a few screenshots. Especially when the majority of the book contains this content. You will learn nothing and if you are reading the book the chances are you know these games anyway and want more facts and details.
I’ve given similar such comments on other books so maybe my interest in the subject is different to the intended ordinance. Who knows?
August 19, 2021
Great book, with lots of interviews, nice screenshots, info about the classic games, but a bit unstructured - games are ordered by year, so you have to go through all the book (and there are 3 books in zx spectrum series) to find out that this game was not included... Still, super quality and entertaining!
August 15, 2022
The information is incomplete, yet the pictures are large, and in this case it is justified to be able to see in detail some of the antiques. I can see the work to gather all the data, and it's relevant to see the Apple II of the European Union. The difference in quality and performance is called the Social State.
September 4, 2015
Absolutely amazing work by Chris Wilkins, the way he captures the stories behind the productions of games that lit up out living rooms back in the eighties, makes us all fel that much special for having made part of such a beautiful thing that was the ZX Spectrum scene.
If you ever played games back then, and wish to reminisce and learn more about the backstage action of the industry, do read. A blast from the past brought to you by someone who just like us just wanted to have some fun.
Congratulations on an amazing book, and keep them coming!
If you ever played games back then, and wish to reminisce and learn more about the backstage action of the industry, do read. A blast from the past brought to you by someone who just like us just wanted to have some fun.
Congratulations on an amazing book, and keep them coming!
September 3, 2015
lovely colours, print quality very good. Tasteful nostalgia A++
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews