1980s Vintage Computers

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Practical Computing Magazine - Covers

I have scanned in covers starting from issue 1, July 1978 to July 1987. I have most copies through to December 1986 plus a few later issues. Click on the thumbnail image below to display the full sized cover. Note this page may take a long time to download over a modem link.

The style of the magazine covers changed over the years. Initially the cover picture was hand-drawn artwork, often showing computers in a stylised context. Some of these were highly imaginative, humorous and eye-catching, such as the extra-terristrials in a typical British high street on the front of the February 1981 issue.  From April 1983 the cover showed a text-based graphic, and in August 1983 the first photograph was used (in this case of a daisy-wheel print-head). From then on a mix of cover styles was used, until 1985 when only photographs were used.

1978

This was the first year of Practical Computing, the first ever issue was a special for a computer show in August. I finally found a copy in 2008, almost 30 years later. There was a gap between issue 1 and issue 2 in October, then the magazine was monthly. 

1979

1980

Practical Computing covers for 1981 to 1983