The Spreadsheet at 25

From the 1979 invention by two MIT students of the visible calculator to the war between Lotus and Microsoft for dominance in the spreadsheet market, this book is a fascinating look at the software application that helped spur the entire computer industry. This loving look back at the early computer and technology evolution will teach anyone interested in computer history about the MIT students, Bricklin and Frankston, and their unique vision; how Mitch Kapor and Lotus 1-2-3 trumped VisiCalc; how the spreadsheet gave businesses a reason to buy PCs; and how Microsoft came to dominate the market. The book also contains descriptions of 25 amazing spreadsheets that users can download from the book's web site.

Bill Jelen is the principal of MrExcel.com, the author of Guerilla Data Analysis Using Microsoft Excel, and the coauthor of VBA & Macros for Microsoft Excel and Mr. Excel on Excel. He lives in Uniontown, Ohio.