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OUR DIGITAL PAST IS FRAGILE.

Secrets of the
Apple II
Gaming World

A visual journey into rarely explored passageways

A HISTORICAL RECORD
With each passing year, magnetic media degrades, physical materials are lost, and the innovators of the early computing era fade from the record. While mainstream games are generally well-documented, the early days of the Apple II were a singular moment when individual projects hand-packaged in plastic baggies and distributed out of kitchens and garages were still a possibility.
There are hundreds of such Apple II titles, many of which are at risk of quietly slipping into obscurity. Secrets of the Apple II Gaming World is a unique window into these little-known artifacts, presenting insights gathered over nearly 25 years of research.
A VISUAL ARCHIVE

Secrets of the Apple II Gaming World is a 184-page volume containing 150 photographs of rarely seen Apple II game materials and ephemera, from The Abyssal Zone to Zoo Master.

It documents the distinctive artwork and packaging of the era, all presented in an immersive full size (8.25" x 11"), premium colour, hardcover format.

A HUMAN JOURNEY

Spanning more than 40 years, Secrets of the Apple II Gaming World is a purposeful – and at times personal – voyage through rarely explored passageways, chronicling a story of recovery.

It features 50 chapters of exploration across two distinct parts, moving from wide alleys where memories still endure, to narrow corridors where the story survives in fragments. Secrets is a photographic but fundamentally human journey through years of gathering and archiving Apple II games and their history.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Based in Canada, Stéphane Racle discovered the Apple II in 1983. Over the years, his interests have shifted from play to preservation, focusing on archiving the software and stories from the platform's heyday. Some of his prior archival work includes the Computer Gaming World Museum, and he is an occasional contributor to Juiced.GS. He remains active in the Apple II and retro-computing communities, and through this 50-chapter journey, seeks to ensure that as many passageways as possible stay open to future explorers.

Available globally where Amazon books are distributed

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