If I have one complaint about the Steve Jobs’ biography from Walter Isaacson, it’s that certain topics could be not covered in sufficient depth. I understand why; the book was about the life and times of one of the most influential people in the last fifty years. Yet, while reading it, I couldn’t help but want to know more about many things, not the least of which was the iPod.

Enter The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness by Steven Levy (affiliate link). This is a book about one thing and its cultural impact: the iPod. While the iPhone has arguably made its predecessor obsolete, Levy’s book is a compelling trip down memory lane and a fascinating examination of Apple’s first blockbuster, non-computer product.

While caught up in the iPod craze, I somehow missed interesting things Levy calls out, like the fact that The Pope actually used one. Levy is an excellent writer and I’ll be buying his other books after this posts. The Perfect thing allows us, in retrospect, to appreciate Apple’s truly game-changing product and its remarkable run. Buy it.