Art of Atari

This is truly a fantastic book, and an amazing value for the treasures it contains.After making a recent pilgrimage to the American Classic Arcade Museum, I’ve had a renewed interest in arcade and vintage console machines. People forget just how ground-breaking and influential Atari’s game and industrial design was over a generation of kids. This was a company unrestrained by finance, precedent, or expectations. At Atari, everything was on the table, and the misfires are as intriguing as the successes.In an era where most homes didn’t have or hadn’t even heard of a “personal computer,” where Neuromancer and The Matrix were years or decades away, computers and video games had a magical lure about them. These were The Mysteries of the 21st century. This was the time of Tron, pre-internet, pre-Pixar, pre-cell phone, pre-Warcraft, when new digital technology was materializing almost faster than we could figure out what it meant or how to use it.Atari games (and their contemporaries) were a social and imagination-firing activity – the world of the game was only partly on the screen. The genius of the appeal was how these games kept firing your imagination long after you unplugged and were engaged in a completely different activity. The skill of Atari’s art and design personnel made this magic happen.Art of Atari captures these memories perfectly, treating them respect, framing them, curating them. This book is a trove of information from the era, containing not just well-known stuff like the E.T. debacle (debunked, by the way in these pages), but going into interesting trivia even 80’s junkies like me only have a passing knowledge of.Graphic art? Fine Art? Industrial design? Even fonts (yes – the freakin’ box fonts!) are all represented here, in spades. This book is a boon of pre-Illustrator, pre-Photoshop, old-school analog art and methods. It’s invaluable as a time capsule, educational resource, and nostalgia device.My only quibble – if it can be called one – is the underrepresentation of Atari’s vast number of arcade machines. By covering all things Atari, this book admirably covers a breadth of detail, but it does so by sacrificing scrutiny of Atari’s design and social influence outside the home. Perhaps for another book..? A similar treatment of the “arcade era” is long overdue.But all in all – Well worth the wait. The reign of Atari is long past, but I hope this renews an interest in the art itself – many of these iconic cover pieces (Asteroids, Vanguard, Star Raiders, Missile Command, I could go on and on) deserve reproduction release.

This book is very well designed and is full of great info.Would highly recommend for any gaming enthusiast.

The title says it all. This books contains some of the elaborate and beautiful art and stylings of the Atari era. When games told a narrative by the cover of the game's box, the sticker on the plastic cartridge, and your youthful imagination, all coupled together.This book takes that nostalgia and talent and treats it with the respect it sorely deserves. Not full of "flash" or overthought, this book looks to have been lovingly (and painstakingly) gathered and laid out in a manner that seems only those who grew up in the era would genuinely appreciate.The pages contain little snippets of phrases as quotes from the artist, "did you know" type trivia snippets, and other interesting blurbs. What is great is these blurbs do not detract from the main focus, the art, and are done in a way that still places the beautiful imagery front and center.This book serves as a multifaceted member of your library. Historically, it has a relevance which really highlights the place that art had in games at the time, with so many top artists having put their hats on for this field. Art wise, the styles are of multiple eras and references, giving a great display to the skills and talents of some fine craftsmen. Prideful, this book can dominate even the most conservative of living room coffee tables and it begs the inner child in you just as it does the external snob in you to pick up and delicately flip through as not to disturb the quality images laid before you.I genuinely recommend this book. It is so well constructed and crafted that it has honestly become my litmus test for other books endeavoring to do the same across all subjects. Whether you are a child of Atari or a fan of an era of art, do I do strongly suggest you pick this book up. I have sincerely seen grown men grin ear to ear when remembering the content and cover art contained within the spine.

I received my Atari 2600 for Christmas of 1978 and spent the next 4 years entrenched in everything Atari - from the games, to the manuals that were included, to the boxes themselves. Spending all of my spare change in the arcade during the days, I'd come home and play my Atari for hours before bedtime: Dodge 'Em, Night Driver, and Combat were my first. Then came the onslaught of arcade conversions; Space Invaders, Missile Command, Asteroids. Going to the mall or department store meant another chance for me to be able to look over those wonderful boxes and stare at the artwork hinting at the wonder that they contained. This book takes the reader back to those days and the overall magic and wonder of the early home videogame years. It's more than just pictures of box art - it's stories, personal accounts, history, and informative facts about the early world of Atari. This book is a must buy if, like me, you were in your "prime" years during the late 70's and early 80's. It is going to find a permanent place on my coffee table and will be a source for conversation for many years to come. Thanks to everyone who put this book together!

Ever since I was a little kid I loved the artwork on Atari 2600 games. This not only gives you full panel versions of the great game covers but tells a great story of the history of the games and art.Big hardcover book with a fancy book ribbon. Well worth the low price.

Good information and illustrations

Valeu cada centavo, os 200 conto mais bem gastos da minha vida. o livro tem uma qualidade impecável, qualidade das scams muito muito alta e muito bem escrito.Tim Lapetino se encarregou de ir atrás dos artistas das capas dos jogos, já que naquela época não era mt comum as empresas darem os créditos para quem fez os jogos e etc (tanto que daí que surge o primeiro Easter egg de todos o "criado e escrito por warren robinett").por mais que vc nn entenda mt inglês, só folhar as páginas vendo as belas artes já vale a pena.mas tente ler ele, usando o tradutor ou o google lens que traduz em tempo real vai valer super a pena o desafio

Un libro muy bello. Impresión de alta calidad. Trae todos los juegos de Atari. Increíble.

Eindelijk was dit boek weer beschikbaar en gelijk besteld.Erg mooi boek. Wat mij het meeste aantrok zijn de illustraties van het artwork.Enige minpunt was weer de verzending door Amazon, boek is slecht verpakt en daardoor beschadigt aangekomen. Hoeken ingedeukt. Dit is voor mij wel een reden om dit soort (dure) boeken liefst niet meer bij Amazon te kopen.

Formato davvero grande, ottima qualità di stampa e contenuti davvero pazzeschi. Imperdibile non solo per gli amanti dei retro games, ma per tutti gli appassionati di artbook.

At first I received a damaged copy which literally had RIPPED pages, but I requested a replacement and it arrived the next day, what a quick service! I am very satisfied. The book is amazing quality wise and a good read! Definitely recommend!