Father, Son, and Co.: My Life at IBM and Beyond
Watson describes the origin and development of IBM from the perspective of his own personal development and growth. His relationship with his father, founder of IBM, was stormy, he says, due to his own strong temper and his father's equally strong ego. Watson's descriptions of business dealings are not as technical as those in Emerson W. Pugh's Memories That Shaped an Industry ( LJ 6/1/84) nor as theoretical as Lou Mobley and Kate McKeown's Beyond IBM ( LJ 1/89). Rather, he discusses them by describing the personalities brought in to deal with problems and the ensuing clashes, successes, disasters, etc. He also briefly covers his heart attack in 1970, his departure from IBM, and his tenure as ambassador to the Soviet Union under Jimmy Carter. This book should have wide appeal given the breadth of Watson's activities.- Hilary D. Burton, Lawrence Livermore National Lab., Livermore, Cal.Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.