Share this
Twitter
Myspace
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Slashdot
Furl
Yahoo
Technorati
Newsvine
Facebook
Export PDF
Print
E-mail
TagsAuthorized biography to be published in 2012
BY BOB HOLT
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
Earlier this year, Steve Jobs took a leave of absence from Apple as he battles what is believed to be a rare form of pancreatic cancer. In public the Apple CEO is one of America’s greatest showmen.
In private it is another story.
A number of biographers have tried to tell the story of Jobs but failed to include the most important part of the tale itself: cooperation from Jobs.
According to the Asbury Park Press, Simon & Schuster has announced that Walter Isaacson’s “iSteve: The Book of Jobs” will be published in early 2012. Isaacson has been working on the long-rumored biography since 2009 and has interviewed Jobs, members of his family, colleagues at Apple and competitors.
This is the first biography Jobs has authorized, according to Simon & Schuster spokeswoman Tracey Guest. “iSteve” may focus on the past three years, marked by Jobs twice stepping away from daily operations at Apple to focus on his health. Jobs, 56, announced he had pancreatic cancer in 2004. Cooperation with Isaacson could mean that Jobs has emerged from his recent health battles with more of an interest in shaping his legacy.
Bloomberg.com reported that in early 2009, when Isaacson first began his interviews, Jobs announced he would cede day-to-day control of Apple to Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook. Months later, Jobs confirmed he had had a liver transplant, allowing him to return to work.
NPR reports that in 2005, Apple refused to carry any books by John Wiley & Sons, because it signed on to publish the unauthorized biography Con: Steve Jobs, The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business.
The New York Times reports Isaacson is the author of two best-selling biographies, on Abert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin. He also wrote “American Sketches: Great Leaders, Creative Thinkers, and Heroes of a Hurricane,” a collection of essays written last year delving into the roots of great leadership.
Jobs founded Apple in 1976 as a 21-year-old with Steve Wozniak and Ron Wayne. He left the company in 1985 to start NeXT Inc., rejoining Apple 12 years later when Apple acquired NeXT for $400 million in cash, stock and debt.
The book is not scheduled for release until March 6, 2012, but is available for pre-order on Barnes and Noble’s website.
