Bitmap Bookshas been publishing books about older video games for some time. Unfortunately, until now, they didn’t have an official US distributor, and so ordering from the UK-based company meant paying a hefty shipping fee. Mondo has stepped in to change that. As of today (September 20) at noon, you’ll be able to pre-order six of Bitmap’s extraordinary books fromMondo’s store. If you’re reading this early, check out Mondo’sblog post on the matter.
The books: 1)NES/Famicom: A Visual Compendium, 2)SNES/Super Famicom: A Visual Compendium, 3)The CRPG Book: A Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games, 4)The Art of Point-And-Click Adventure Games, 5)NEOGEO: A Visual History, 6)Super Famicom: The Box Art Collection.They each cost $39.99, and they are expected to ship in Octorber.
If you’re into the roots and history of video games, any one of these books would make a great addition to your coffee table. They are all hardback and heavy–more than 400 pages a piece–and they featurea tonof art. If you pick up theVisual Compendiumto the Super Nintendo, for instance, you’ll find material from every one of your favorite SNES games. You name it, you’ll find it.
TheGuide to Computer Role-Playing Gamesis also comprehensive, but it focuses on a genre rather than a platform. As such, you’ll find some important newer games featured in it, likeThe Elder Scrolls V: SkyrimandDark Souls. Additionally, while this book does contain a lot of great and relevant art, it also presents full-fledged reviews of each game. According to Bitmaps, these reviews have been “completely written” by journalists, fans, developers, and industry personalities. It’s extremely cool, and it’d provide you with a bit of a deeper reading experience than a visual compendium.
Bitmap also sells several books that Mondo is not yet bringing stateside, so if you’re interested in their work on theSEGA Master System, theCommodore 64, theCommodore Amiga, or theSinclair ZX Spectrum, you’ve still got to import. They have also opened pre-orders for a book calledMetal Slug: The Ultimate History. Mondo has not yet confirmed whether they will be selling these other books in the future.
