Marc Andreessen: Web Warrior (Techies)

Grade 5-8-These books profile two of the pioneers of the cyberspace era. Andreessen was instrumental in the creation of Mosaic, an early Web browser, and was cheated of recognition for his efforts. In revenge, he created the Netscape Navigator, which allowed the general public to use the Internet easily. However, his triumph sparked a huge legal and commercial battle with software-giant Bill Gates and Microsoft for control of the browser market. Bezos saw the commercial opportunities in an easily accessible Internet and created Amazon.com, one of the first, now most widely recognized dot.com businesses. Although his story makes for good reading, Andreessen's story of revenge and cutthroat competition is the more compelling of the two. Both authors are admiring of their subjects, emphasizing how they were able to see the possibilities of cyberspace and create something entirely new. Although these stories are interesting and readable, the books themselves are not very attractive. Each has only a few black-and-white photos that add little to the text and the cover art is not flattering to either man. In spite of superficial weaknesses, these titles are sure to appeal to both report writers and the young techies who exist in every school, showing them that those who view the world differently can make significant contributions.
Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MO
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Reviewed with Josepha Sherman's Jeff Bezos.

Gr. 5-8. The Techies series offers small-format books introducing significant figures in high-tech businesses. Illustrated with black-and-white photos, each volume provides biographical material as well as some background information about the relevant technology. Marc Andreessen introduces the man who coauthored the early Web-browsing software Mosaic, co-founded the firm Netscape, and was a multimillionaire at the age of 24. In Jeff Bezos, readers will learn about the young Princeton graduate whose plan for selling books over the Web began literally in his garage and grew to be Amazon.com. Both books are fairly short and quite accessible. Check the Series Roundup for a series title on Steve Jobs of Apple Computers. Carolyn Phelan
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