Steve Jobs

A striking Steve Jobs autograph on one of Apple Computer’s most visually iconic early programming manuals.

Offered here is an original 1979 edition of The Applesoft Tutorial, published by Apple Computer, Inc. for the Apple II computer, boldly signed across the front cover by Steve Jobs.

Few objects capture the formative years of personal computing as effectively as this piece. Issued during Apple’s extraordinary rise from Silicon Valley startup to technological phenomenon, The Applesoft Tutorial introduced Apple II owners to programming in Applesoft BASIC. The manual—Apple product number A2L0018—was specifically intended to teach users how to program their computers and was supplied with Apple II Plus systems. Its colorful cover artwork, early rainbow Apple branding, and unmistakable late-1970s design place it squarely within one of the most important periods in the history of personal computing.

Across that cover is an exceptionally large and visually commanding “Steve Jobs” signature in black marker, extending prominently over the Apple artwork and rainbow graphics.

Jobs was famously reluctant to sign autographs, making authentic examples considerably scarcer than those of most other transformative figures of the modern era. His signature is especially desirable when found on material directly associated with Apple and the products that established the company’s reputation.

This example has tremendous display appeal. Rather than appearing on an unrelated photograph or piece of paper, Jobs’s autograph is situated directly upon an early Apple publication devoted to the Apple II—the computer that helped establish Apple as a major force in the emerging personal-computer industry.

Historical Significance

Introduced in 1977, the Apple II became one of the foundational computers of the personal-computing revolution. By 1979, when The Applesoft Tutorial was published, Apple was expanding rapidly and providing increasingly sophisticated documentation to a new generation of home and business computer users.

The Applesoft Tutorial was written to introduce users to Applesoft BASIC, Apple’s extended BASIC programming language. The original manual is a wire-bound publication of approximately 157 pages and carries Apple product number A2L0018.

The juxtaposition is particularly compelling: a manual created to teach ordinary people how to program one of the machines that helped democratize computing, signed by the entrepreneur who would become the most recognizable figure in Apple history.

The Signature

The front cover bears an unusually large Steve Jobs signature executed in bold black marker. The autograph occupies a substantial portion of the lower cover and displays the sweeping loops, compressed letter forms, and energetic construction associated with Jobs’s distinctive signature.

High-magnification examination shows the autograph ink lying independently over the printed halftone cover artwork, with natural marker deposition visible across areas of changing printed color and at intersecting pen strokes.

The size, placement, and strong contrast of the autograph give the piece exceptional presentation quality.

Condition

The manual exhibits expected age and handling consistent with an original Apple publication from 1979, including light surface and edge wear. The spiral binding remains present, and the colorful illustrated front cover retains strong visual appeal.

The autograph itself remains bold, dark, and highly prominent.

Please review all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description.

Details

Signer: Steve Jobs
Item: The Applesoft Tutorial
Publisher: Apple Computer, Inc.
Date: 1979
Apple Product Number: A2L0018
Platform: Apple II / Apple II Plus
Format: Wire-bound programming tutorial manual
Signature: Large black-marker autograph across front cover
Subject: Apple Computer / Personal Computing / Technology History

Collector Significance

Steve Jobs autographs rank among the most desirable signatures in modern technology collecting. Examples appearing on early Apple material are particularly sought after because they unite the autograph with the company and technology with which Jobs is inseparably associated.

This signed Applesoft Tutorial combines several qualities collectors seek in a premium Jobs piece: an early Apple publication, the classic rainbow Apple identity, direct association with the Apple II era, an unusually large signature, and superb visual presentation.

It is an exceptional artifact from the formative years of Apple and the personal-computer revolution—and a compelling representation of the man whose vision helped transform the way the world interacts with technology.