The Zen of Steve Jobs

This is a test header.

---

HOBOKEN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- In collaboration with Forbes Media and JESS3, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is pleased to announce the publication of The Zen of Steve Jobs (Wiley; January 2012; ISBN: 9781118295267; Paperback & E-Book; $19.95) written by Caleb Melby, a Forbes contributor and illustrated by JESS3. A tribute in memory of Apple cofounder Steve Jobs (1955-2011), this graphic narrative is a thoroughly researched interpretation of a well documented period in his life that revolutionized technology and design.

Steve Jobs impacted so many lives. What few understand is that much of his success was due to collaboration with designers, engineers and the world’s premier thinkers.

In the mid 1980s, Jobs was forced to leave Apple. He then founded NeXT, a computer company in Redwood City, California. Cynical journalists began to question if he had been a one-hit-wonder and NeXT’s computers, though beautiful, experienced disappointing sales. During this difficult time in his life, Jobs discovered his spiritual side through a unique friendship with Kobun Chino Otogawa, a Japanese Soto Zen Buddhist priest. This spiritual relationship ultimately created the foundation behind Jobs’ continued innovative success.

The Zen of Steve Jobs is a reimagining of the friendship between Jobs and Kobun. Kobun emigrated to the U.S. from Japan in the early 1970s. He was an innovator, lacked appreciation for rules and was passionate about art and design. Kobun was to Buddhism as Jobs was to technology: a renegade and maverick.

The story moves back and forward in time, from the 1970s to 2011, but centers on the period after Jobs' exile from Apple in 1985 when he took up intensive study with Kobun. Their time together was integral to the big leaps that Apple took later on with its product design and business strategy.

The Zen of Steve Jobs connects this period in Jobs’ life with key moments in Apple’s history. A section of the book takes place in 1986 at the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in California. Kobun teaches Jobs kinhin, a walking meditation, and alludes to Jobs’ quest to understand ma, a Japanese design concept apparent today in the simplicity in all iProducts. Since his triumphant return to Apple in 1996, it was evident that Jobs’ experiences with Buddhism played a significant role in his corporate philosophy.

The Zen of Steve Jobs is not only a visual tribute but a look back at an icon whose life shaped the future. Readers will walk away with a better understanding and appreciation of the legacy Steve Jobs left behind.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Caleb Melby is a native of Mankato, MN, a town known as the site of the nation’s largest mass hanging. It is otherwise a very nice place. Prior to writing The Zen of Steve Jobs, Caleb wrote for the Chicago Tribune and The Times of South Africa. He currently lives in a variety of places with no wives and no children.

JESS3 (Washington, DC) is a world-renowned creative agency that specializes in data visualization. Through the mastery of illustration, information design, animation and engineering, JESS3 brings beauty to complex concepts, issues and data sets. In addition to working with Forbes on The Zen of Steve Jobs, JESS3 is dedicated to the craft of storytelling for vanguard brands that include Google, Nike, Intel, MTV, Twitter, Samsung, Facebook and NASA. JESS3 also has a dedicated Labs division, which funds and launches its own products and initiatives.

Forbes Media encompasses Forbes and Forbes.com (www.forbes.com), the leading business site on the Web that reaches on average more than 21 million people monthly. The company publishes Forbes and Forbes Asia, which together reach a worldwide audience of more than 6 million readers. It also publishes ForbesLife magazine, in addition to licensee editions in Africa, Argentina, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, India, Indonesia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Korea, Latvia, Middle East, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Turkey, and Ukraine. Other Forbes Media Web sites are ForbesWoman.com; RealClearPolitics.com; RealClearMarkets.com; RealClearSports.com and RealClearWorld.com. Together with Forbes.com, these sites reach on average nearly 28 million business decision makers each month. Steve Forbes serves as Chairman and Editor in Chief. Mike Perlis is President and Chief Executive Officer. Lewis D’Vorkin is Chief Product Officer. Kevin Gentzel is Chief Revenue Officer.

To schedule an interview or request a review copy, contact:

Heather Condon, Wiley – [email protected] / 201-748-6017

THE ZEN OF STEVE JOBS

By Caleb Melby and JESS3

Wiley; Paperback & E-Book; $19.95; ISBN: 9781118295267; January 2012

For more information about Wiley’s books, please visit our Press Room www.wiley.com/go/press

Follow us on Twitter @WileyBiz and @WileyFinance for more information on our business books and authors

About Wiley

Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace.

Our core businesses publish scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, encyclopedias, books, and online products and services; professional/trade books, subscription products, training materials, and online applications and Web sites; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley's global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company's Web site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50093719&lang=en

WileyHeather Condon, 201-748-6017[email protected]

Source: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

---

Are you missing key trading opportunities? Upgrade to StreetInsider Premium and get a step ahead of the market - FREE TRIAL!