N64: A Visual Compendium

A deep look at the Nintendo 64, the console that marked Nintendo's move into 3D and produced some of the most beloved games ever made. The book covers over 150 titles, each profiled across a two-page spread with large screenshots, release details, and written contributions from the developers and journalists who were actually there. The obvious landmarks are all present, including Super Mario 64, GoldenEye 007, Ocarina of Time, and Banjo-Kazooie, alongside less-covered games like Mischief Makers, Beetle Adventure Racing, and Body Harvest. The history section covers the hardware from inception through launch and legacy, with interviews from key figures including David Doak (GoldenEye, Perfect Dark), Kevin Bayliss (Diddy Kong Racing), and Julian Eggebrecht (Star Wars: Rogue Squadron). Professionally shot photographs of the hardware and peripherals round things out. Comes in a linen slipcase with animated lenticular imagery and four colored bookmark ribbons.

Bitmap Books is a UK publisher that has built a reputation for treating gaming history with the same care a design house would bring to an art book. Their visual compendium series is the best of what they do, obsessively researched and produced at a level most game books do not come close to. For readers with a serious interest in the N64 or in the history of 3D game design.