Pong creator Allan Alcorn's original, early "Apple II Mini Manual," given to him by Apple founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak upon the computer's release in 1977, comprising an introductory section ("Getting Started With Your Apple II Board") followed by sections on software, hardware, and demo tape program listings. The 68-page manual is bound in a simple red cardstock folder, 9 x 11.5, with a full-color cardstock ad/technical specification sheet in the front, mentioning the availability of "Games like Pong or Startrek." Notably, the "Demo Tape Program Listings" section includes "Breakout" and "Pong With Bricks"—demonstrating the product's origins and affiliation with Atari. The Apple II computer was originally bundled with two game paddles, specifically for the purpose of playing 'Breakout.' In very good to fine condition, with wear to the red wrappers.
Alcorn had given Steve Jobs his start in the tech industry, first by hiring him at Atari and later by making introductions to potential investors and providing computer chips to Apple at cost. Later, Jobs offered Alcorn equity in the growing company—Alcorn said he said he'd take a free Apple II instead, which was accompanied by this early, unsophisticated version of its user manual.
Accompanied by a signed letter of provenance from Alcorn, in full: "In 1973 we were growing fast and we needed talented staff. A teenage hippy dropout from Reed College applied for a job as a technician and I hired him because he could solder, read a schematic and was cheap. That was Steve Jobs. He soon saved up enough money to fund his trip to India to meet his guru and when he returned a year later he asked for his old job back. His buddy, Woz, designed a single board computer they called the Apple and first offered it to us at Atari to build but we declined as we were busy creating the home video game market. We introduced them to venture capitalist and sold them integrated circuits at our cost to help them get started. Jobs offered me stock in Apple but I said I already had enough wallpaper and said I'd like a free Apple II computer instead. Bad decision.
So one Saturday, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, and the majority of the company, maybe a dozen people, showed up at my home to give me my Apple II. It was one of the first Apple IIs produced, and at that point the owner's manual was hand collated and put in a red 3 prong folder. Soon they had the owner's manual bound in a more professional manner, but this was one of the rare first documents. It has been in my possession since Steve gave it to me.
We hooked it up to the projection TV in my living room and Woz showed me how to program tiny basic. Soon I was programming and told my wife I could make it do anything. She asked me to make it wash the dishes or mop the floor and I told her I couldn't do that so she told me to get it out of the living room. I used the Apple II as my main home workstation until I joined Apple Computer as a fellow in 1986 and I got my first Mac."
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