Tech Writer John Markoff and His Latest Book: Whole Earth

2315 Durant Ave,Berkeley CA 94704

04 May, 2022

Description

Tech Writer John Markoff and His Latest Book - Whole Earth: The Many Lives of Stewart Brand In his new book, Whole Earth: The Many Lives of Stewart Brand, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Markoff illuminates the Zelig-like creator of Whole Earth Catalog, a living legend known for his iconoclasm, quirky lifestyle, and eminently quotable pronouncements. Library Journal calls the book “ … [a] laudatory biography of Brand that admirers, the unfamiliar, and even some detractors will find insightful.” On Wednesday, May 4, at 7 p.m., John will explain how he wrestled Brand’s ever-evolving epic life into an engaging, comprehensive volume. Tickets for this event are free for City Club members and $10 for non-members. Masks will be required. John describes Whole Earth Catalog, first published in 1968, as "the internet before the internet.” The catalog’s 64 pages were crammed with articles and curated sources, with topics ranging from building a computer to finding mineral hot springs. Brand was just thirty when he published Whole Earth Catalog. His goal, he said, was to empower “anyone on earth [to] pick up a telephone and find complete information on anything.” John began reporting on the computer industry for The New York Times in 1988. He moved to the San Francisco bureau in 1992 and covered Silicon Valley until he retired in 2016. His undergraduate and master’s degrees in sociology, combined with his early fascination with microprocessors and computers, equipped John to analyze the emergence and expanding influence of the tech boom. John has written four other books, including What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry and Machines of Loving Grace: The Quest for Common Ground between Machines and Robots. Copies of his new book will be available for purchase.