A Biography of the Pixel

Alvy Ray Smith is a magician who overturns the visible world and reenvisions everything that happens on a screen. His innovative history of the pixel is remarkable: there are brilliant insights on every page.

"We spend half our day staring at a screen, but where do the images on it come from? This engaging, thoroughly researched book by a pioneer of digital image making explains the history, theory, and technology of every image you see through a computer screen."

"Alvy Ray Smith’s authoritative exploration of the history and technology of pixel-based picture making is not only instructive but eminently readable and, indeed, fun!"

"Until I read this book, I would have been hard pressed to define the pixel as a unified technology that creates everything on television and animated films. Thanks to the father of the pixel, Alvy Ray Smith, for giving me greater insight into the exotic components of our everyday world."

"Alvy Ray Smith has done a masterful job of weaving his own contribution in helping bring color to computer graphics into this compelling history of our modern digital media world.".