Commodore VIC 20: A Visual History

by Giacomo M. Vernoni

Commodore VIC 20: A Visual History is a book about the computer that marked Commodore's debut in home computing: it was the first colour home computer to cost less than $300, the first to sell one million units, the first to have a modem for under $100, and the first approach to personal computing for a whole generation. The book presents all the VIC 20 models, all the early peripherals and interfaces created by Commodore for this computer, and all the games published by the company on cartridge, with some insights from the VIC 20 launch team.

245 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2017

About the author

Born in the early 70s, Giacomo M. Vernoni's first experience with home computers was when his parents bought him a Sinclair ZX Spectrum in 1984. This was followed in 1985 by a Commodore 128, and then an Amiga 500. He started collecting old computers and consoles in 1994, and his passion is still strong today. A Mac user since 1991, he’s now a PHP programmer with a vast experience in graphic design and photo retouching applications. He writes about his collection on vecchicomputer.com (Italian) and oldcomputr.com (English).

Reviews

[Kam Yung Soh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book about the VIC20, one of the early home computers that helped to launch the home computer revolution. The book covers the various versions of the computer created for different markets and includes notes and anecdotes from some of the creators of the computer, who had to overcome obstacles in their path in creating the computer, included some from management who didn't believe at the time that there would be a market for a cheap, home computer.

The book also covers the various expansion options that were created for the VIC20, like memory expanders, modems, printers, floppy drives, cassette drives and other accessories like manuals. It also covers the range of programs written by Commodore and released on cartridges and tapes.

For those who used the VIC20 in the past, this is an excellent book to read bring back the nostalgic memory of the system. For those interested in the history of computers of that era, this book provides lots of excellent photos showing off the computer and the ecosystem that existed about the VIC20 at the time.

[Richard Tubb · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Commodore VIC 20 was a groundbreaking machine in home computer history.

This book is a beautiful, well researched look at the development and history of the VIC 20.

While I never owned a VIC 20, I found myself reminiscing about the early days of home computing while reading this book. It's very visual, with lots of photographs and images of the computers and games, accompanied by historical insights.

This book was a delight to read. Highly recommended for any fans of the Commodore range or, indeed, the history of home computing.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. The overall production is amazing - the hardware has been restored and photographed with great skill. The software artwork has also been restored to original quality. Great fun to read even if you're not into the VIC 20. I see it as an important contribution to the history of industrial design.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

childhood flooding back...