Atari ST Book

The Atari ST Book compressed ST compatibility into a genuinely notebook-sized computer weighing about 1.9kg. It used an 8 MHz Motorola 68000, a 640x400 monochrome LCD, an internal hard disk and Atari’s pressure-sensitive VectorPad pointing device.

To reduce size and power consumption, the ST Book omitted an internal floppy drive and LCD backlight. Released in small numbers in Europe during 1991, it offered long battery life and impressive portability but arrived too late and at too high a price to achieve broad sales.

Notable Features

• Notebook-sized ST compatible weighing about 1.9kg.
• Used a 640x400 monochrome LCD and pressure-sensitive VectorPad pointing device.
• Relied on an internal hard disk and omitted a built-in floppy drive.

Historical Significance

• Succeeded the much heavier Stacy as Atari’s most portable computer.
• Released only in small quantities in Europe during 1991–92.

Collector’s Notes

• The unlit passive-matrix LCD is difficult to use in poor lighting by design.
• Power supplies, batteries, hard disks and proprietary connectivity are important condition points on this rare machine.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Atari ST Book
Manufacturer	Atari
Launched	Tuesday, January 1, 1991
Discontinued	1992
Country	United States
CPU	Motorola MC68000 at 8 MHz
Units Sold
I/O	MIDI, serial, parallel, external floppy and expansion connections
Battery	Approximately 5 to 10 hours depending on use and battery condition
Pointing Device	Integrated pressure-sensitive VectorPad
Storage	Internal hard disk; no internal floppy drive
Sound	Yamaha YM2149 PSG
Graphics	ST high-resolution monochrome compatible
Display	640x400 monochrome passive-matrix LCD without backlight
ROM	TOS 2.06
RAM	1MB standard, expandable in some configurations
CPU Speed	8 MHz