FOREWORD
It’s a real shame that the millions who have read Forrest’s articles, columns, and books over the years have never had the chance to get to know him personally. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to call him my friend for several years. This book is special to me because the first edition of this book was the reason why I met and got to know Forrest.
I first met Forrest in 1979. I can’t recall the exact date, but it was a fearsomely hot mid-summer day in Fort Worth, Texas. I was working at Radio Shack’s national headquarters in their technical publications department. My boss, Dave Gunzel, had spearheaded an effort for Forrest to generate a book of IC applications circuits that were similar to Forrest’s actual working laboratory notebooks. Forrest was carefully preparing each page by hand on transparent Mylar sheets using a fine-tip pen. I monitored his progress eagerly, and one day Dave told me that Forrest Mims would be arriving the following week with the last of his Mylar originals.
Wow! I was going to really meet Forrest Mims! I hadn’t seen a photo of Forrest before, nor had Dave told me much about how he looked or acted. (In retrospect, I now realize that was deliberate on Dave’s part–he wanted me to “discover” Forrest on my own.) I had my own mental picture of Forrest, though. Obviously, a serious fellow. Anyone who came up with all those electronic circuits couldn’t have much time for laughter. Probably sharply focused and not interested in anything other than electronics. An older gentleman, certainly, with a white beard and a fondness for jackets with elbow patches. A pipe and slight Germanic accent were also likely. He would probably think I was really stupid and not have a lot of patience with me.
The Big Day quickly arrived. Forrest was due in that afternoon. I had carefully rehearsed my welcoming speech: “Hello, Mr. Mims. It is certainly good to see you. Would you like an ashtray for your pipe?”
I was alone in the technical publications office that afternoon when someone I didn’t recognize stuck his head into the office doorway. He was wearing normal business attire, smiled easily, spoke with a slight Texas accent, and was looking for Dave Gunzel. Oh brother, I thought, another new employee who’s lost in Tandy Center. Doesn’t this guy know that Forrest Mims is going to show up this afternoon and I don’t have any time to waste on him??? I mumbled something about Dave being gone for a few minutes and that we were expecting a visitor later that afternoon.
The stranger seemed apologetic. He didn’t want to waste any of my time or Dave’s if we were expecting someone important, he said; he just needed to tend to a couple of matters quickly and wouldn’t bother us any further. He approached my desk and extended his hand toward me.
“Hi,” he said, “I’m Forrest Mims; you must be Harry.”
I don’t recall my reply, but I think it was the unmistakable sound of self-mortification.
Forrest had work to do and wondered if I could help. He needed to spray the Mylar sheets with a protective coating before turning them over to us for printing. We commandeered a vacant area of the then-new Tandy Center, spread out the Mylar sheets, and spent the next couple of hours emptying aerosol cans of clear lacquer while discussing the state of the universe.
That afternoon, I discovered what a remarkably unpretentious guy Forrest is. Here was one guy who had earned the right to a massive ego, yet he was straightforward, down to Earth, and almost skeptical of his achievements. Our conversation ranged from electronics to lasers to politics to Texas history to computers to religion to. … well, you name it. It was incredible how many subjects Forrest was interested in, and how insatiable his curiosity was about everything in the natural world. By the end of that afternoon, I felt as if I had known Forrest for years.
A lot has happened since then. I eventually left Texas to become a book editor in New York and, a few years after that, moved to California where I became a founding partner in HighText Publications. Throughout, Forrest remained a valued friend and trusted confidant. The intelligence and insight that are apparent in his circuits extends to many other areas, and he has a wit and sense of irony that are delicious. While we don’t get to spend much time physically in each other’s company, it’s a rare week when we don’t have at least two or three lengthy telephone conversations. As technology has advanced, so have our modes of interaction; we often exchange a couple of faxes per day on various subjects.
We had no idea that the book we worked on back on that hot summer afternoon in 1979 would go on to sell over 750,000 copies in its various editions. Some of the pages we worked on back in 1979 appear in this book, a testimony to the enduring quality and relevance of Forrest’s work. For readers such as yourself, this book will be a valuable reference to contemporary, real-world IC applications. For me, it brings back a lot of good memories. And, no, Forrest doesn’t smoke a pipe, doesn’t wear jackets with elbow patches, and doesn’t have a beard.