Best Selling Books by Walter Isaacson

Based on more than 40 interviews with Steve Jobs conducted over two years - - as well as interviews with more than 100 family members, friends, adversaries, competitors and colleagues - - the author offers a fascinating look at the co-founder and leading creative force behind the Apple computer company.

From the author of Steve Jobs and other bestselling biographies, this is the astonishingly intimate story of the most fascinating and controversial innovator of our era—a rule-breaking visionary who helped to lead the world into the era of electric vehicles, private space exploration, and artificial intelligence. Oh, and took over Twitter. Australian Financial Review Top 20 Read for 2023u200b When Elon Musk was a kid in South Africa, he was regularly beaten by bullies. One day a group pushed him down some concrete steps and kicked him until his face was a swollen ball of flesh. He was in the hospital for a week. But the physical scars were minor compared to the emotional ones inflicted by his father, an engineer, rogue, and charismatic fantasist. His father’s impact on his psyche would linger. He developed into a tough yet vulnerable man-child, prone to abrupt Jekyll-and-Hyde mood swings, with an exceedingly high tolerance for risk, a craving for drama, an epic sense of mission, and a maniacal intensity that was callous and at times destructive. At the beginning of 2022—after a year marked by SpaceX launching thirty-one rockets into orbit, Tesla selling a million cars, and him becoming the richest man on earth—Musk spoke ruefully about his compulsion to stir up dramas. “I need to shift my mindset away from being in crisis mode, which it has been for about fourteen years now, or arguably most of my life,” he said. It was a wistful comment, not a New Year’s resolution. Even as he said it, he was secretly buying up shares of Twitter, the world’s ultimate playground. Over the years, whenever he was in a dark place, his mind went back to being bullied on the playground. Now he had the chance to own the playground. For two years, Isaacson shadowed Musk, attended his meetings, walked his factories with him, and spent hours interviewing him, his family, friends, coworkers, and adversaries. The result is the revealing inside story, filled with amazing tales of triumphs and turmoil, that addresses the question: are the demons that drive Musk also what it takes to drive innovation and progress?

NOW A MAJOR SERIES ''GENIUS'' ON NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, PRODUCED BY RON HOWARD AND STARRING GEOFFREY RUSH Einstein is the great icon of our age: the kindly refugee from oppression whose wild halo of hair, twinkling eyes, engaging humanity and extraordinary brilliance made his face a symbol and his name a synonym for genius. He was a rebel and nonconformist from boyhood days. His character, creativity and imagination were related, and they drove both his life and his science. In this marvellously clear and accessible narrative, Walter Isaacson explains how his mind worked and the mysteries of the universe that he discovered. Einstein''s success came from questioning conventional wisdom and marvelling at mysteries that struck others as mundane. This led him to embrace a worldview based on respect for free spirits and free individuals. All of which helped make Einstein into a rebel but with a reverence for the harmony of nature, one with just the right blend of imagination and wisdom to transform our understanding of the universe. This new biography, the first since all of Einstein''s papers have become available, is the fullest picture yet of one of the key figures of the twentieth century. This is the first full biography of Albert Einstein since all of his papers have become available -- a fully realised portrait of this extraordinary human being, and great genius. Praise for EINSTEIN by Walter Isaacson:- ''YOU REALLY MUST READ THIS.'' Sunday Times ''As pithy as Einstein himself.’ New Scientist ‘[A] brilliant biography, rich with newly available archival material.’ Literary Review ‘Beautifully written, it renders the physics understandable.’ Sunday Telegraph ‘Isaacson is excellent at explaining the science. '' Daily Express

During his 84-year life Benjamin Franklin was America''s best scientist, inventor, publisher, business strategist, diplomat, and writer. He was also one of its most practical political thinkers. America''s first great publicist, he carefully crafted his own persona, portrayed it in public and polished it for posterity. In this riveting new biography Walter Isaacson provides readers with a full portrait of Franklin''s public and private life - his loyal but neglected wife, his bastard son with whom he broke over going to war with England, his endless replacement families and his many amorous, but probably unconsummated, liaisons. But this is not just a biography of Benjamin Franklin but rather a fascinating look at American and European political history at that time. Isaacson examines the run up to the Revolutionary War, the intimate relations between Britain, France and the colonies and the decisive events that led to America''s independence. Just as David McCullough brought life to the historic figure of John Adams, Isaacson portrays Franklin in the flesh, showing readers how this radical man helped define America''s national character and personality.

As his parents finished packing the few personal belongings they were permitted to take out of Germany, the bespectacled 15-year-old stood in the corner of the apartment memorizing the details of the scene. He was a bookish and reflective child, with that odd mixture of ego and insecurity that can come from growing up smart yet persecuted. "I''ll be back someday," he said to the customs inspector who was surveying the boxes. Years later, he would recall how the official looked at him "with the disdain of age" and said nothing. Henry Kissinger was right: he did come back to his Bavarian birthplace, first as a soldier with the U.S. Army counterintelligence corps, then as a renowned scholar of international relations, and eventually as the dominant statesman of his era. By the time he was made secretary of state in 1973, he had become, according to the Gallup Poll, the most admired person in America. In addition, as he conducted foreign policy with the air of a guest of honor at a cocktail party, he became one of the most unlikely celebrities ever to capture the world''s imagination. Yet Kissinger was reviled by large segments of the American public, ranging from liberal intellectuals to conservative activists, who in varying ways considered him a Strangelovean power manipulator dangerously devoid of moral principles. Kissinger''s power-oriented approach to global politics resulted in a messy conclusion to the Vietnam War that included the secret bombing and invasion of Cambodia and the Christmas bombing of Hanoi. Yet he was also able to design a triangular balance based on detente with Russia and an opening to China that preserved America''s influence in the world. He had an instinctive feel for power, but it was not matched by a feel for the openness of America''s democratic system or for the moral values that are a basic source of its world influence. This book, the first full biography of Kissinger, explores the relationship between his complex personality - brilliant, conspiratorial, furtive, prone to power struggles, charming yet at times deceitful - and the foreign policy he pursued. It draws on extensive interviews with Kissinger as well as 150 other sources, including Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, H.R. Haldeman, former South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu, Russian diplomats, cabinet colleagues, disillusioned aides, childhood friends, and business clients. In addition, it makes use of many of Kissinger''s private papers, personal letters, recorded telephone conversations, his desk diaries and those of various officials, memos of classified meetings, and transcripts of FBI wiretaps. The result is an intimate narrative, filled with surprising revelations, that takes this century''s most colorful statesman from his childhood as a persecuted Jew in Nazi Germany, through his tortured relationship with Richard Nixon, to his twilight years as a globe-trotting business consultant.

Chronicles the lives and careers of the men and women responsible for the creation of the digital age, including Doug Englebart, Robert Noyce, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and more.

This includes the exclusive biography of Steve Jobs and bestselling biographies Benjamin Franklin and Einstein.

This exclusive boxed set from beloved New York Times bestselling author Walter Isaacson features his definitive biographies: Steve Jobs, Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, and Leonardo da Vinci. “If anybody in America understands genius, it’s Walter Isaacson.” —Salon Celebrated historian, journalist, and bestselling author Walter Isaacson’s biography collection of geniuses now available in one boxed set—the perfect gift for history lovers everywhere. Steve Jobs: The “enthralling” (The New Yorker) worldwide bestselling biography of legendary Apple cofounder Steve Jobs. The story of the roller-coaster life and intense creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing. Isaacson’s portrait touched millions of readers. Einstein: How did his mind work? What made him a genius? Isaacson’s biography of Albert Einstein—also the basis for the ten-part National Geographic series starring Geoffrey Rush—shows how Einstein’s scientific imagination sprang from the rebellious nature of his personality. His fascinating story is a testament to the connection between creativity and freedom. Benjamin Franklin: In this colorful and intimate narrative, Isaacson provides the full sweep of Ben Franklin’s amazing life, showing how the most fascinating Founding Father helped forge the American national identity. Leonardo da Vinci: History’s consummate innovator and most creative thinker. Isaacson illustrates how Leonardo’s genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy.

A selection of Benjamin Franklin’s writings, with an introduction and commentary by renowned author Walter Isaacson. Selected and annotated by the author of the acclaimed Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, this collection of Franklin’s writings shows why he was the bestselling author of his day and remains America’s favorite founder and wit. Includes an introductory essay exploring Franklin’s life and impact as a writer, and each piece is accompanied by a preface and notes that provide background, context, and analysis.

Now a docuseries from Ken Burns on PBS! The #1 New York Times bestseller from Walter Isaacson brings Leonardo da Vinci to life in this exciting new biography that is “a study in creativity: how to define it, how to achieve it…Most important, it is a powerful story of an exhilarating mind and life” (The New Yorker). Based on thousands of pages from Leonardo da Vinci’s astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, Walter Isaacson “deftly reveals an intimate Leonardo” (San Francisco Chronicle) in a narrative that connects his art to his science. He shows how Leonardo’s genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy. He produced the two most famous paintings in history, The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. With a passion that sometimes became obsessive, he pursued innovative studies of anatomy, fossils, birds, the heart, flying machines, botany, geology, and weaponry. He explored the math of optics, showed how light rays strike the cornea, and produced illusions of changing perspectives in The Last Supper. His ability to stand at the crossroads of the humanities and the sciences, made iconic by his drawing of Vitruvian Man, made him history’s most creative genius. In the “luminous” (Daily Beast) Leonardo da Vinci, Isaacson describes how Leonardo’s delight at combining diverse passions remains the ultimate recipe for creativity. So, too, does his ease at being a bit of a misfit: illegitimate, gay, vegetarian, left-handed, easily distracted, and at times heretical. His life should remind us of the importance to be imaginative and, like talented rebels in any era, to think different. Here, da Vinci “comes to life in all his remarkable brilliance and oddity in Walter Isaacson’s ambitious new biography…a vigorous, insightful portrait” (The Washington Post).

"A gripping account of how the pioneering scientist Jennifer Doudna, along with her colleagues and rivals, launched a revolution that will allow us to cure diseases, fend off viruses, and enhance our children"--

Walter Isaacson’s #1 New York Times bestselling history of our third scientific revolution: CRISPR, gene editing, and the quest to understand the code of life itself, is now adapted for young readers! When Jennifer Doudna was a sixth grader in Hilo, Hawaii, she came home from school one afternoon and found a book on her bed. It was The Double Helix, James Watson’s account of how he and Francis Crick had discovered the structure of DNA, the spiral-staircase molecule that carries the genetic instruction code for all forms of life. This book guided Jennifer Doudna to focus her studies not on DNA, but on what seemed to take a backseat in biochemistry: figuring out the structure of RNA, a closely related molecule that enables the genetic instructions coded in DNA to express themselves. Doudna became an expert in determining the shapes and structures of these RNA molecules—an expertise that led her to develop a revolutionary new technique that could edit human genes. Today gene-editing technologies such as CRISPR are already being used to eliminate simple genetic defects that cause disorders such as Tay-Sachs and sickle cell anemia. For now, however, Jennifer and her team are being deployed against our most immediate threat—the coronavirus—and you have just been given a front row seat to that race.

Walter Isaacson racconta l''avvincente storia del geniale imprenditore la cui passione per la perfezione e il carisma feroce hanno rivoluzionato sei settori dell''economia e del business: computer, film d''animazione, musica, telefoni, tablet ed editoria digitale.

Even the youngest science enthusiasts know the name “Einstein.” To them, it represents intelligence and ingenuity. But they may not know much about Albert Einstein as a man and why his fame reached such great heights. In this comprehensive biography, which draws on new research and personal documents, accessible text tells the fascinating story of Einstein’s life, including his early years in Germany, his achievements that led to the Nobel Prize, and his role in the development of the atomic bomb. Plentiful photographs, explanatory diagrams, and illuminating sidebars add to the reader’s experience, helping to reveal the person and the genius behind the name.

Od autora knihy Steve Jobs a ďalších životopisných bestsellerov prichádza úžasne intímny príbeh najfascinujúcejšieho a najkontroverznejšieho inovátora na svete – vizionára, ktorý porušuje pravidlá a priviedol svet do éry elektrických vozidiel, súkromného výskumu vesmíru a umelej inteligencie. A tiež ovládol Twitter. Keď bol Elon Musk malý, žil v Južnej Afrike a pravidelne ho šikanovali spolužiaci. Jedného dňa ho skupinka zhodila z betónových schodov a kopala doňho, až mu z tváre zostala opuchnutá kopa mäsa. Týždeň ležal v nemocnici. Fyzické jazvy však boli zanedbateľné v porovnaní s citovými, ktoré mu spôsobil jeho otec, darebák, inžinier a charizmatický fantasta v jednej osobe. Keď sa Elon vrátil z nemocnice domov, otec mu vynadal. „Musel som hodinu postojačky trpieť, keď na mňa kričal, nazýval ma idiotom a hovoril mi, že som jednoducho nanič,“ spomína. Otcov vplyv na jeho psychiku pretrváva až dodnes. Z Elona sa stal tvrdý, ale aj zraniteľný muž s dušou večného dieťaťa, mimoriadne vysokou toleranciou voči riziku, túžbou po dráme, epickým zmyslom pre rôzne misie a maniackou náruživosťou, ktorá je bezcitná a niekedy deštruktívna. Isaacson Muska dva roky sledoval, zúčastňoval sa jeho stretnutí, chodil s ním po jeho továrňach a strávil hodiny rozhovormi s ním, jeho rodinou, priateľmi, spolupracovníkmi a nepriateľmi. Výsledkom je otvorený vnútorný príbeh plný úžasných historiek o triumfoch a nepokojoch, ktorý sa zaoberá otázkou: Sú démoni, ktorí Muska poháňajú, zároveň tým, čo je potrebné na poháňanie inovácií a pokroku? Walter Isaacson napísal životopisy Jennifer Doudnovej, Leonarda da Vinci, Steva Jobsa, Alberta Einsteina, Benjamina Franklina a Henryho Kissingera. Je tiež autorom knihy Inovátoři a spoluautorom knihy The Wise Men. Bol redaktorom časopisu Time, výkonným riaditeľom CNN a neziskovej organizácie Aspen Institute. V roku 2023 mu bolo udelené ocenenie National Humanities Medal. Je profesorom na Tulanskej univerzite a žije so svojou manželkou v New Orleans.

Del autor de Steve Jobs y otras grandes biografías, todas ellas éxitos internacionales de ventas, esta es la historia asombrosamente íntima del innovador más fascinante y polémico del mundo, un visionario que ha roto todos los moldes y ha conducido al mundo a la era de los vehículos eléctricos, la exploración espacial privada y la inteligencia artificial. Ah, y el mismo que compró Twitter. Cuando Elon Musk era un niño en Sudáfrica, sufría a menudo acoso escolar. Un día un grupo de niños lo empujó por unas escaleras de hormigón y le patearon hasta que su cara se hinchó como una pelota. Pasó una semana en el hospital. Pero las cicatrices físicas fueron insignificantes comparadas con las emocionales, las que le había causado su padre, un canalla, ingeniero carismático y fantasioso. Cuando Elon llegó a casa tras ser dado de alta del hospital, su padre le reprendió. «Tuve que escucharlo durante una hora mientras me gritaba, me llamaba idiota y me decía que era un inútil», recuerda. El impacto psicológico que su padre le causó perduró. Se convirtió en un joven fuerte pero vulnerable al mismo tiempo, propenso a bruscos cambios de humor -a lo Jekyll y Hyde-, con una gran tolerancia al riesgo, ansias de drama, un épico sentido de misión y una intensidad maníaca, cruel y a veces destructiva. A principios de 2022, después de un año marcado por el lanzamiento de treinta y un satélites de SpaceX, la venta de un millón de coches de Tesla y de convertirse en el hombre más rico de la tierra, Musk confesó con arrepentimiento su impulso por provocar el drama. «Necesito cambiar mi forma de pensar para que deje de estar en modo crisis, como lo he estado en los últimos catorce años, o probablemente toda mi vida», explicó. Fue un comentario melancólico, no un propósito de año nuevo. Cuando hizo la promesa, estaba comprando en secreto acciones de Twitter, el patio de recreo por excelencia. Con los años, cuando se encontraba en un momento difícil, se veía transportado de nuevo al acoso que sufrió en el patio del colegio. Ahora tenía la oportunidad de poseerlo. Durante dos años, Isaacson fue la sombra de Musk, asistió a sus reuniones, recorrió juntos sus fábricas, y pasó horas entrevistándolo a él, a su familia, amigos, compañeros y adversarios. El resultado es un relato íntimo y revelador, repleto de historias asombrosas, triunfos y perturbaciones, que aborda la pregunta: ¿son los demonios que mueven a Musk también lo que se necesita para impulsar la innovación y el progreso? ENGLISH DESCRIPTION From the author of Steve Jobs and other bestselling biographies, this is the astonishingly intimate story of the most fascinating and controversial innovator of our era--a rule-breaking visionary who helped to lead the world into the era of electric vehicles, private space exploration, and artificial intelligence. Oh, and took over Twitter. When Elon Musk was a kid in South Africa, he was regularly beaten by bullies. One day a group pushed him down some concrete steps and kicked him until his face was a swollen ball of flesh. He was in the hospital for a week. But the physical scars were minor compared to the emotional ones inflicted by his father, an engineer, rogue, and charismatic fantasist. His father''''s impact on his psyche would linger. He developed into a tough yet vulnerable man-child, prone to abrupt Jekyll-and-Hyde mood swings, with an exceedingly high tolerance for risk, a craving for drama, an epic sense of mission, and a maniacal intensity that was callous and at times destructive. At the beginning of 2022--after a year marked by SpaceX launching thirty-one rockets into orbit, Tesla selling a million cars, and him becoming the richest man on earth--Musk spoke ruefully about his compulsion to stir up dramas. "I need to shift my mindset away from being in crisis mode, which it has been for about fourteen years now, or arguably most of my life," he said. It was a wistful comment, not a New Year''''s resolution. Even as he said it, he was secretly buying up shares of Twitter, the world''''s ultimate playground. Over the years, whenever he was in a dark place, his mind went back to being bullied on the playground. Now he had the chance to own the playground. For two years, Isaacson shadowed Musk, attended his meetings, walked his factories with him, and spent hours interviewing him, his family, friends, coworkers, and adversaries. The result is the revealing inside story, filled with amazing tales of triumphs and turmoil, that addresses the question: are the demons that drive Musk also what it takes to drive innovation and progress?

Hành trình khám phá một trong những phát minh vĩ đại nhất thế kỷ 21 “Viết lại mã sự sống” của Walter Isaacson từng là cuốn sách bán chạy số 1 New York Times và từng được đánh giá hay nhất năm bởi Time Magazine, The Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, Amazon, BookPage, Science News. Cuốn sách được viết bởi tác giả Walter Isaacson – bậc thầy tiểu sử – kể câu chuyện về những nhân vật đằng sau “chiếc kéo di truyền” đã đưa khoa học sự sống sang một kỷ nguyên mới. Câu chuyện bắt đầu khi Jennifer Doudna – nhà khoa học nữ nhận giải Nobel Hóa học 2020 – học lớp 6, trở về nhà và thấy trên giường có một cuốn sách mang tên “DNA: Hành trình khám phá chuỗi xoắn kép”. Khi lướt qua các trang sách, Doudna đã không thể rời mắt khỏi cuộc chạy đua để khám phá ra “mật mã” về sự sống và từ đó theo đuổi mơ ước trở thành một nữ khoa học gia. Bà và các cộng sự đã biến sự tò mò về tự nhiên thành một phát minh có thể biến đổi loài người: CRISPR-Cas9 – một kỹ thuật có cái tên viết tắt không hề dễ nhớ cho phép cắt và thay đổi có chọn lọc những mẩu DNA. Nghiên cứu mang tính bước ngoặt này dựa trên khả năng phòng vệ do vi khuẩn tạo ra trong cuộc chiến hơn 1 tỷ năm chống lại virus, mở ra cánh cửa giúp nhân loại có khả năng kiểm soát các làn sóng virus trong tương lai – chặn đầu đại dịch bằng cách tầm soát và điều trị tốt hơn, thậm chí tạo ra những con người với khả năng miễn dịch mạnh mẽ. Sự phát triển của CRISPR và cuộc chạy đua để tạo ra vắc-xin cho coronavirus đã thúc đẩy một cuộc cách mạng tiến bộ vĩ đại. Nếu nửa thế kỷ qua là kỷ nguyên kỹ thuật số, dựa trên vi mạch, máy tính và internet thì bây giờ chúng ta đang bước vào một cuộc cách mạng khoa học sự sống. Chúng ta có nên tận dụng sức mạnh tiến hóa mới này để giúp cho loài người ít bị nhiễm virus hơn, phòng chống trầm cảm, hay để tăng cường chiều cao, cơ bắp hoặc chỉ số thông minh cho con cái không? Cùng với khả năng mang đến những tiến bộ cho nhân loại, công cụ này cũng khiến các nhà khoa học đặt ra câu hỏi về mặt đạo đức của việc chỉnh sửa gen người. Bằng cách kể câu chuyện về Jennifer Doudna, tác giả cũng hy vọng sẽ đưa ra một cái nhìn khác về cách thức hoạt động và những góc khuất của ngành khoa học. Điều gì thực sự xảy ra trong phòng thí nghiệm? Các khám phá phụ thuộc đến mức nào vào sự xuất sắc của các cá nhân, và khả năng làm việc nhóm trở nên quan trọng tới đâu? Sự cạnh tranh về giải thưởng và bằng sáng chế có làm suy yếu sự hợp tác khoa học không? Sách thuộc Tủ sách Y sinh của Omega Plus Books.

A simultaneous global release of Steve Jobs: A Biography by Walter Isaacson. Release date: 10/24/2011. Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two yearsas well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues. Traditional Chinese edition. PB In Traditional Chinese. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.

Em obra que é referência no segmento das biografias, autor conta a história da Revolução Digital. É curioso que a história dos computadores e da internet, ferramentas tão presentes em nosso dia a dia, seja tão pouco conhecida pela maioria das pessoas. E talvez mais interessante ainda seja o fato de, diferentemente de outras tecnologias revolucionárias a sua época, como o telefone e a lâmpada, essas invenções que mudaram a forma como vivemos serem em grande parte fruto de trabalho colaborativo. Desde Ada Lovelace, a filha de Lord Byron que no fim do século XIX foi pioneira da programação, passando por Vannevar Bush e Alan Turing, até chegar a gênios contemporâneos, como Bill Gates e Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson explora em Os inovadores as personalidades fascinantes que contribuíram para a atual Revolução Digital e suas conquistas mais significativas. Quais foram os talentos que permitiram aos inventores e empreendedores transformar suas ideias visionárias em realidades revolucionárias? O que fez com que eles concretizassem tais avanços criativos? Por que alguns foram bem-sucedidos e outros falharam? Os inovadores é uma saga magistral sobre como a colaboração entre criadores engenhosos estava destinada a compor a história da Revolução Digital — e também um guia indispensável sobre como a inovação de fato acontece. Aclamado pela crítica, o livro traça um panorama lúcido sobre como os principais responsáveis por essa revolução tecnológica não apenas colocaram suas ideias em prática, como também dominaram a arte do trabalho em equipe para potencializar ainda mais sua criatividade.

Commment un groupe de hackers, de génies et de geeks a crée la révolution numérique L’auteur de la biographie magistrale de Steve Jobs parue quelques mois après la mort du patron d’Apple et aujourd’hui adaptée au cinéma nous livre un nouveau travail monumental et unique. Depuis le milieu du XIXe siècle et jusqu’à nos jours, Walter Isaacson dresse l’histoire des premières machines, de la naissance de l’ordinateur jusqu’à l’explosion de l’ère numérique. Une formidable saga qui met en scène des hommes et des femmes de génie, des intuitions spectaculaires, des aventures industrielles totalement hors du commun. De la vision d’Ada Lovelace – fille de Byron – qui fut la première à imaginer que les calculatrices deviendraient des ordinateurs multitâches, aux nouvelles réflexions vertigineuses des créateurs de Google, Walter Isaacson nous offre la plus stimulante galerie de portraits. L’aventure numérique n’est pas uniquement associée à l’inventivité de quelques génies – c’est une aventure collective faite de centaines d’étapes, chacune associée à la créativité d’une équipe. Comment fonctionnaient leurs esprits, quel terrain économique et social les a rendus si inventifs, qui furent les pionniers de la programmation, des circuits intégrés, d’internet, du web... quelles idées ont inspiré des personnalités aussi fascinantes, que John Von Neumann, Alan Turing, Robert Noyce, Steve Jobs, Larry Page... À partir d’un travail de recherche colossal, d’interviews avec les grands acteurs encore vivants, d’une réflexion puissante et originale sur cette révolution en marche, Walter Isaacson fait vivre avec force l’histoire de ces bâtisseurs d’un nouveau monde. Traduit de l''anglais par Bernard Sigaud

La biografia definitiva de Steve Jobs, creador d''Apple, escrita amb la seva total col·laboració. La mort de Steve Jobs ha commogut el món. Després de tenir-hi més de quaranta entrevistes en els darrers dos anys, i amb més d''un centenar de persones del seu entorn: familiars, amics, adversaris i col·legues, Walter Isaacson ens presenta l''única biografia escrita amb la col·laboració de Jobs, el retrat definitiu d''una de les icones indiscutibles del nostre temps, la crònica de l''agitada vida i la desgastant personalitat d''un geni que, amb la seva creativitat, energia i afany de perfeccionisme,va revolucionar sis indústries: la informàtica, el cine d''animació, la música, la telefonia, les tauletes i l''edició digital. Conscient que la millor manera de crear valor al segle XXI és connectar la creativitat amb la tecnologia, Jobs va fundar una empresa en la qual els impressionants salts de la imaginació van de bracet de sorprenents fites tecnològiques. Tot i que Jobs va col·laborar en el llibre, no va voler controlar el contingut, ni tan sols exercir el dret a llegir-lo abans de la publicació. No va defugir cap tema, i va encoratjar la gent que coneixia a parlar amb franquesa. « He fet moltes coses de les quals no em sento orgullós, com deixar la meva novia embarassada als vint-i-tres anys i la manera com em vaig comportar aleshores, però no hi ha cap cadàver al meu armari que no pugui sortir a la llum.» Jobs parla amb sinceritat, de vegades brutal, sobre la gent amb la qual ha treballat i contra la que ha competit. De la mateixa manera, els seus amics, rivals i col·legues ofereixen una visió gens ensucrada de les passions, els dimonis, el perfeccionisme, els desitjos, el talent, els trucs i l''obsessió per controlar-ho tot que varen modelar la seva visió empresarial i els innovadors productes que va aconseguir crear. La seva història, per tant, està plena d''ensenyaments sobre innovació, coratge, lideratge i valors. La vida d''un geni capaç d''enfurismar i de seduir a parts iguals.

What are the roots of creativity? What makes for great leadership? In this collection of essays, Isaacson reflects on the lessons to be learned from Ben Franklin, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, Henry Kissinger, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton, and various other interesting characters he has chronicled. The people he writes about have qualities that were rare, such as imagination and true curiosity. He reflects on how he became a writer, the lessons he learned from various people he met, and the challenges he sees for journalism in the digital age. He offers tributes to his hometown of New Orleans which offered the ingredients for a creative culture, and to the Louisiana novelist Walker Percy, an early mentor.

Presents both sides of the arguments concerning controversial topics, such as the draft, gun control, abortion, religious cults, television, and smoking

Sebuah kisah tentang jatuh-bangunnya seorang pengusaha kreatif dengan kepribadiannya yang menggugah. Dengan keinginan besar akan kesempurnaan dan kontrol gila-gilaan yang berhasil merevolusi enam industri: komputer pribadi, film animasi, musik, ponsel, komputer tablet dan penerbitan digital.