This is a special book that captures a time not to long ago in human years, but ancient history in tech years - an era that I believe is woefully under-documented in comparison to the life and times of the personal computer.

Kidder takes a banal subject, the engineering of a minicomputer, and captures the heart behind the effort. It also manages to be an insight into management techniques and technical processes, but never gets bogged down in either one.

Kidder romances a little too much for my taste and sometimes it's difficult to keep track of the engineers and get a feel for their idiosyncrasies. However, it's probably the best book of its kind and his ability to tell a nimble story is superb.