One of the Most Influential Novels of the 1990s

Snow Crash [Hardcover]

Stephenson, Neal

Publication: New York: Bantam, 1992. First edition, hardcover issue.

Notes: The classic virtual reality novel, and perhaps the most influential novel of the 1990s. One of the biggest tech companies, Meta (formerly Facebook), is basically named after Stephenson's core idea, the Metaverse, a term he coined in this book.

"Snow Crash was widely influential for multiple reasons. Ideas developed in the novel inspired projects sponsored by organizations as varied as NASA and Google Maps. But it is the concept of the Metaverse that arguably had the most enduring impact. In the 2000s, high-profile virtual worlds like Second Life drew direct inspiration from Stephenson's Metaverse, and Microsoft CTO J Allard claimed the Metaverse was a direct inspiration for the development of X-Box Live and made the novel mandatory reading for the X-Box development team. Consequently, while the Metaverse may have reached a new peak of public awareness in 2021, the concept played an important role in inspiring various technologies throughout the 1990s and 2000s."—From Microverse to Metaverse (2022), p. 18.

The first edition of Snow Crash was divided between copies bound in paperback (the usual format of its publisher, Bantam) and hardcovers like this one, which are much scarcer. These hardcovers, rather than being sewn, are perfectbound, essentially paperbacks with paper-and-board covers.

Edition + Condition: First edition, hardcover issue (with a numberline ending in 1). A very near fine copy in a like dust jacket. The book shows minor shelfwear. Its biggest flaw is that it is a touch musty. This copy is signed by Stephenson in an early hand, where "Neal" is still legible. His current signature is basically just a stylized N and S. Uncommon as a signed hardcover copy.

Item No: #365532

Price: $9,500