The Whole Earth Catalog was the brainchild of Stewart Brand (1938–), who first published it in 1968. It was essentially a catalog of ideas, books, new technologies, and other ideas Brand thought were worthy of wider notice. It was an alternative, off-beat publication that in many ways symbolized the spirit of searching that characterized the late 1960s.

Like any other catalog, the Whole Earth Catalog offered a wide variety of items, accompanied by short descriptions and pictures. Unlike other catalogs, nothing was for sale. Believing that "information wants to be free," Brand wrote the catalog as a way to get lots of good information to as many people as possible. The catalog accepted no advertising and only reviewed those items that the editors thought would be a positive force for change. In the first edition of the catalog, Brand focused on a few key areas of...