May 26, 2003
As a staffer at Wired, the magazine that started and fueled Internet economy hype, Wolf watched the rise and fall of an era from his desk. And he took notes. His story, however, doesn't rise above the slew of boom-and-bust books; despite a few colorful details, much of it involves dull talk of stock options, money and control. Wolf follows Wired's founders, Louis Rossetto and Jane Metcalf, from their beginnings publishing European trade magazines to launching a wildly successful, influential magazine. The pair left Europe for San Francisco in the early 1990s to create "the mouthpiece of the digital revolution." Like most new businesses, Wired
was launched with its founders' (here, especially Rossetto's) force-of-will, financial bootstrapping and an overwhelming sense of mission. In the early days, employees had to buy their own pens. " was not just being frugal," Wolf writes. "The pens—or rather the absence of pens—had a meaning: hold on to your independence; do not get lazy; do not lose your identity; do not merge with the group." Indeed, Wired
created a unique corporate culture, in which management brought employees to the hills north of San Francisco for a bit of media strategizing and pot smoking, and IPOs were printed in neon colors instead of the standard b&w format. Although not a tell-all, Wolf's story provides some gossipy tales of backstabbing, bruised egos, multimillion-dollar deals and steamy affairs. But as a romance, the story is bittersweet. Overspending and personality conflicts eventually forced the sale of Wired, albeit for a tidy profit. Like so many similar tales, what started as an attempt to change the world became an unseemly struggle for money and control. (On sale July 8)Forecast:Wolf's book, which would have made a great piece in
San Francisco magazine but drags at book length, will be of interest only to those with ties to
Wired. For general readers, the dot-com story may be over.
June 15, 2003
Wolf, coauthor of Dumb Money and a contributor to Wired and other magazines, here chronicles the life of Wired founder Louis Rossetto, as well as his times, which happened to be the stock market "bubble years" of the 1990s. According to the author, "The story had, if no sole author, at least a preeminent champion. His name was Louis Rossetto and his platform was Wired." Wolf introduces us to the intriguing Rossetto and his partner (in business and personal life), Jane Metcalfe, who met in Europe in the 1980s and eventually returned to the United States to start Wired. The magazine's story is told against the backdrop of the Nineties bubble and its collapse in 2000. The market's rises, corrections, and fall directly affected operations at Wired, and readers are given an inside look at the magazine's headquarters. This is a readable and fascinating account of Rossetto and Metcalfe, their influential magazine, and the volatile times to which they belonged. Highly recommended for both public and academic libraries.-Lucy Heckman, St. John's Univ. Lib., Jamaica, NY
Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
June 1, 2003
Wolf, a contributor to such magazines as " Wired, "tells the story of Louis Rossetto, who, with his companion, Jane Metcalfe, sets out on an adventure to prove that computers would make every existing authority obsolete. The saga begins with the two of them developing " Wired "magazine and then expanding their efforts into the Internet arena. Rossetto was driven by ideology, commitment, and rank stubbornness, which ultimately earned them $30 million when the whole enterprise was sold in 1999 for $390 million. We can consider this a "morality play" with intrigue and lengthy battles involving greed, betrayal, and many other human-nature characteristics. It is a story of winners and losers, of bitter struggles and politics involving former and current employees, investors, and other board members, and readers will decide for themselves who acted admirably and who did not. Rossetto's risk-taking odyssey with " Wired "is just one of many tales about the highs and lows experienced by players in the Internet bubble of the late 1990s.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)