Cleverly called The FBI File on Steve Jobs: By the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the book, says New York-based Skyhorse Publishing Inc., is the first time the declassified file has been made available in print — unless of course you count the thousands of copies people printed for themselves when the FBI posted the file on its website Feb. 9.
Skyhorse promises to deliver "The Dark Side of Steve Jobs — An Inside Look at the FBI's Background Check on a Creative Genius." All 191-pages, for just $12.95. (Note: a ream of printer paper costs about $5 — and you only need less than half the pack to print the file. Did I mention that the FBI posted the Steve Jobs' file on their website and anyone can download it for free?)
I contacted Skyhorse to find out what they are up to. Perhaps they've added new material or provided additional commentary about the report, which the FBI put together when Jobs, then CEO of NeXT Inc., was being considered for a position on President George H.W. Bush’s Export Council. Nope, says Skyhorse, it's the same file, featuring "interviews with friends and family members, stories of drug use, allegations against his moral character and much, much more!"
Here is Skyhorse's statement: "There is a long history of government information selling in book form—from the Nixon transcripts to the 9/11 report. We think that there are enough people interested in Steve Jobs to make this a worthwhile print book and ebook project. Though it’s available online, as a paperback book, it is handier to read, to make notes on, and even to give to someone."
True enough. Amazon.com sells the 9-11 Commission Report, published by W. W. Norton & Company in 624 pages, for $12.16 (for those who don't want to download it here.)
I see that the 9-11 Commission Report was also turned into a graphic novel. I suppose it's just a matter of time before someone turns The FBI File on Steve Jobs into a graphic novel, too. Or maybe an app.
