Seattle, Washington — July 18, 2018 — Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) and Roger Wagner are proud to announce the immediate availability of the book The Apple’s Apprentice.
In a world of computer magazines where the target audience leans toward the adult side of life, comes The Apple’s Apprentice – the first computer magazine produced for beginners and kids of all ages, from 8 to 80. Put your feet up on a chair, relax, and learn about Apple II computers in an informative, fun way. All three issues have been lovingly restored by Brian Wiser, so that you can enjoy the amazement and wonder of computing in 1984.
Availability
The Apple’s Apprentice is available through the A.P.P.L.E. bookstore with production and fulfillment by Lulu.com. The Premium Paperback is printed on thicker glossy paper.
Features
- Table of Contents.
- Articles by kids and wizards like Roger Wagner and Mike Thyng of A.P.P.L.E..
- Spells and Potions – Open the huge oak door and find inside magical cures for ills such as how to prevent the screen from scrolling, and other Applesoft BASIC tutorials.
- The Sourceror’s Apprentice – Assembly language programming for teenagers.
- Ask The Wizard – Programming Q&A sessions with The Wizard of Fairhill Castle.
- Ye Olde Game Shoppe – News and reviews.
- The Crystal Ball – Glance through our crystal ball with predictions of Apples in your future, games to come, peripherals, and products of interest to kids.
- A story on special effects wizard John Dykstra and Apogee that created effects for Star Wars and Star Trek – using an Apple II.
- Journey to a Computer Camp, Cross Words puzzles, and amusing Micro Chips color comics about Apples.
Author
Roger Wagner — Roger Wagner is a programmer who has deep roots in the Apple II community, going all the way back to the beginnings of the platform. In 1978, he started his own software publishing company, Southwestern Data Systems (SDS), as a vehicle for the distribution and sales of some of his first software products for the Apple II. For those of us who grew up with the Apple II in the 1970s and 1980s, Roger’s software was a mainstay – his hands were everywhere in the Apple world. He also wrote The Correspondent and MouseWrite word processors for the Apple II, and sold software written by other authors, including Glen Bredon’s popular Merlin assembler. During those early years, he also wrote articles for many major magazines of the day, including Call-A.P.P.L.E., Nibble, inCider, A+, and GS+. Wagner is best remembered for his long-running “Assembly Lines” column in Softalk, which focused on teaching the first generation of Apple II users how to program in 6502 assembly language.
In 1984, Roger partnered with A.P.P.L.E. founder and Call-A.P.P.L.E. magazine editor, Val Golding, to create a magazine dedicated to teaching children of all ages about programming – The Apple’s Apprentice. The educational aspect and philosophy behind The Apple’s Apprentice followed the same goal as Apple’s with the Apple II computer – to educate and inspire. While the magazine only had three issues, the quality of the production, articles, and art stands out as a reminder of how good an educational magazine can be.
He later renamed his software company to Roger Wagner Publishing, and continued to provide quality software for both the 8-bit Apple II and the 16-bit Apple IIGS. His most famous contribution to the IIGS was the HyperCard-inspired program, HyperStudio, which linked pictures, audio media, and text with clickable links, a foretaste of the hyperlinked Web that was to arrive in the 1990s. Wagner later developed it for Windows and Mac, and promoted its use in schools – teaching students to create presentations and to learn about computers. HyperStudio 5 for Mac continues to evolve from its Apple II roots. Roger released HyperStudio AUTHOR that allows for the creation of simple and beautiful interactive iPad books with HTML5-based media that can be merged into Apple’s iBooks Author. For more information, visit: rogerwagner.com.
Producers
Brian Wiser — Producer of books, films, games, and events, as well as an Apple consultant, historian and archivist. Designer, editor, and co-producer of dozens of books including: Nibble Viewpoints: Business Insights From The Computing Revolution, Cyber Jack: The Adventures of Robert Clardy and Synergistic Software, Synergistic Software: The Early Games, Graphically Speaking: Enhanced Edition, What’s Where in the Apple: Enhanced Edition, and The WOZPAK Special Edition – an important Apple II historical book with Steve Wozniak’s restored original, technical handwritten notes. Producer/Director of the documentary film “Done The Impossible: The Fans’ Tale of Firefly & Serenity“, his Browncoat Cruise convention with Firefly cast, and an extra in the movie “Serenity.” Co-producer of Beagle Bros and Applied Engineering websites, the retro iOS game Structris, and co-producer/writer for CallAPPLE.org and Call-A.P.P.L.E. magazine. Brian is also the author of The Etch-a-Sketch and Other Fun Programs.
Bill Martens — Apple historian and enthusiast, programmer, President of Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) and co-producer of Call-A.P.P.L.E. magazine, and books like: Cyber Jack, Synergistic Software: The Early Games, Nibble Viewpoints, The WOZPAK Special Edition, and What’s Where in the Apple: Enhanced Edition. Bill also co-produced and co-programmed the retro iOS game Structris. Bill is the author of ApPilot/W1, Beyond Quest, The Anatomy of an EAMON, and multiple EAMon adventure games. He is a systems engineer specializing in office infrastructures and has been programming since 1976. And he is the production editor for the A.P.P.L.E. website CallAPPLE.org, writes science fiction novels in his spare time, and is a retired semi-pro football player.
Publisher
Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) has been a global Apple user group since 1978, with membership peaking near 50,000 in 1985. Offering many services, A.P.P.L.E. is also a book publisher and game developer, and has produced dozens of new book titles since 2013 and over 100 Apple software titles.
A.P.P.L.E. published the The WOZPAK Special Edition – a detailed book containing Steve Wozniak’s restored handwritten notes and printouts about his Apple II computer, as well as forewords from Steve Wozniak and other Apple legends. They also publish books such as: Graphically Speaking: Enhanced Edition by Mark Pelczarski, Tome of Copy Protection, Cyber Jack: The Adventures of Robert Clardy and Synergistic Software, Synergistic Software: The Early Games, Nibble Viewpoints: Business Insights From the Computing Revolution by Mike Harvey, What’s Where in The Apple: Enhanced Edition, The Colossal Computer Cartoon Book: Enhanced Edition by David H. Ahl, A.P.P.L.E. 1978 and 1979 magazine Compendiums, and the retro iOS game Structris.
Press Information is available at: www.callapple.org/press
