Slate reviews “10 PRINT”, the new multi-author book from CMS’s Nick Montfort and others

For anyone who hasn’t yet seen Nick Montfort’s new book (well, very multi-author book), Slate’s great review, written by an MIT alum no less, is motivation enough…

There are forays into early computer graphics, hacking, Cold War military strategy and Pac-Man. References abound, from the Commodore 64 user’s manual to Roland Barthes’ S/Z. This is a book where Dungeons and Dragons and Abstract Expressionism get equal consideration.

Though 10 PRINT CHR$ (205.5 + RND (1)); : GOTO 10 is occasionally whiplash-inducing in its headlong rush through history, the connections it makes over 294 pages are inspired. One of the most compelling sections of the book discusses the cultural history of mazes, relating 10 PRINT’s maze back to the labyrinth of Knossos, where, according to the great Greek myth, Theseus waged battle with the terrifying Minotaur.

10 PRINT CHR$ (205.5 + RND (1)); : GOTO 10 is available at MIT Press.