The Apple Museum has received a special addition to its collection: an original copy of So Far: The First Ten Years of a Vision, complete with its distinctive dust jacket.

A VALUABLE ADDITION TO THE COLLECTION

The book was recently given to Apple Museum founder and chairman Ed Bindels in the museum’s entrance hall, with volunteer Rob Wijnoogst also present.

Donations such as this are important to the museum. Apple’s history is not preserved only in computers and circuit boards, but also in books, manuals, photographs, advertising and internal publications. Together, these objects help us understand the ideas, ambitions and people behind the products.

So Far adds a particularly interesting perspective to that history: it shows how Apple looked back on its own story after its first decade.

TEN YEARS THAT CHANGED PERSONAL COMPUTING

Apple Computer published So Far: The First Ten Years of a Vision in 1987 to commemorate the company’s first ten years.

By then, Apple had developed from a small company building computers for enthusiasts into one of the most influential names in personal computing.

The Apple-1 marked the beginning. The Apple II turned Apple into a successful computer company and found its way into homes, schools and businesses. Lisa introduced important ideas about graphical computing, while Macintosh brought the mouse and graphical user interface to a much wider audience.

The oversized 152-page book looks back at these formative years through a combination of photography, design, personal stories and historical reflection.

MORE THAN A PRODUCT HISTORY

Unlike a conventional product catalogue, So Far is not simply a chronological overview of computers.

Its chapters carry titles such as Freedom, Courage and Sharing. The stories focus on people using Apple computers to make a difference in education, creativity, business and everyday life.

The central message is that Apple was never only about computers. It was about changing the relationship between people and technology.

Apple did not create the book for conventional retail sale. Instead, every Apple employee received a copy as a special anniversary gift. As far as is known, it was never offered for general sale, making surviving copies tangible pieces of Apple’s internal company history.

THE PEOPLE BEHIND APPLE

One of the book’s most fascinating details can be found on its endpapers. They contain an alphabetical list of all former and current Apple employees as of 1 January 1987.

Those names turn the book into a historical record of the people who helped build Apple during its formative years. Alongside the famous founders, designers and engineers are hundreds of employees whose work was essential, but whose names remained largely unknown to the public.

For the employees who originally received the book, finding their own name among those pages must have made it a very personal anniversary gift.

The title So Far was also well chosen. After its first ten years, Apple had already transformed personal computing, but much of the story we now associate with the company — including the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch — was still far in the future.

PRESERVED IN ITS ORIGINAL DUST JACKET

The donated copy retains its original black-and-blue dust jacket, featuring a subtle ripple in the water and Apple’s rainbow logo.

The jacket shows some signs of use along its edges. Rather than detracting from the book, these traces are part of its history. They remind us that it was made to be held, read and shared by the people who helped create Apple’s first ten years.

We are very grateful for this special donation. Every object entrusted to the Apple Museum helps us preserve another part of Apple’s history and share it with future visitors.

Thank you for entrusting this remarkable book to the Apple Museum.