Ten years of Before Mario book memories

Last October (2024), I posted this image on social media, announcing that the Before Mario book was officially sold out. All stock had been depleted, and there were no current plans for another print run.

Originally published a little over a decade ago, I thought this would be a good moment to reflect on the journey of the book and share some memories from that time.

How it started

I have always been a collector first and foremost, with a growing passion for vintage Nintendo items.

The Before Mario collection back in 2007

In 2011, I started this blog, thinking it would be fun to share stories and information about my collection and Nintendo’s early history. 

At the time, there was very little information available online about this period of Nintendo, and the blog quickly found an engaged and growing audience.

The first review of the blog, in Edge magazine

Over the next three years, I covered a lot of ground, publishing 180 blog posts. Then, in January 2014, I received a proposal from Nintendo historian and publisher Florent Gorges, founder of Omaké Books, to turn part of the blog into a book.

I loved the idea and quickly reached an agreement with Florent to move forward with the project.

Getting to work

Although the original plan was to reuse content from the blog, I decided to reshoot all the photography specifically for the book to ensure the best possible print quality.

Before Mario around the world

It has been a bit quiet here. I just noticed that the last post dates from mid November. So, let me start by wishing you all the best for 2015!

As regular readers will know, I have been busy with my book for most of last year. Work started on it started in January of 2014 and the result saw the light of day in October. In the months that followed, I took a little break from writing, but I am determined to pick up more regular blog updates again soon.

I have been overwhelmed by the feedback from readers of the book, many of whom sent me a picture of their copy, together with praise for the book's content and design.

I have shared many of these pictures on the Before Mario Facebook page before, but thought it would be nice to present a selection of my favorites together here.

The birth of modern day Nintendo

As readers of this blog will undoubtedly know, I have recently written a book about Nintendo's toys and games from the period 1965 to 1983.

The book is called BEFORE MARIO.

After months of writing, photographing and designing the book, it was delivered by the printer about a week ago. What a great moment it was, to finally hold the result of all that hard work in my hands.

A good moment to take a closer look, I think!

BEFORE MARIO is published by Omaké Books, a French publisher that specializes in video game culture and history. They are well-known for their History of Nintendo series.

The book has a hard-cover and 224 full-color pages printed on high-quality paper. It measures 24 by 20 centimeters and weighs a cool kilogram!

The text is presented side-by-side in two languages: English and French. The integral text is provided in both languages.

I am very proud that the book includes a foreword by Satoru Okada.

Okada joined Nintendo in 1969 and was part of the team that created most of the wonderful toys featured in BEFORE MARIO. When Gunpei Yokoi left Nintendo in 1996, Okada took over as general manager of the Research & Engineering department. Under his management, this team developed the Gameboy Advance and Nintendo DS. Okada retired a few years ago.

Get the limited collector edition while you can! Before Mario book now available!

[UPDATE: It's no longer possible to order the book.]

I am very excited and proud to announce that the book that I have been working on for the last nine months is finished and sent off to the printers!

"BEFORE MARIO - The Fantastic toys from the video game giant's early days"

Pre-ordering has started at Omaké Books right now.

A limited edition is available for 500 people who pre-order early. This version is numbered, has a special black cover and comes with a signed bookmark and Omaké Books trading card. It is also shipped two weeks in advance of the regular edition, for the incredible worldwide shipping rate of only 10 euro cents.

BEFORE MARIO "Black Cover" edition with gifts

I expect this limited edition will be appealing to many Nintendo collectors. However, the regular "classic white" cover has turned out very beautiful as well, so it may be hard to pick a cover version.

Content wise, the black and white versions are identical.

Below a few of pages are presented that give a good impression of the content and style of the book.

(A bit) more news about the Before Mario book

This week we released some new information about the upcoming Before Mario book.

More information will become available soon, but for now here's a first glimpse of the content within this book.

"The period from 1965 to 1983 was a pivotal time for Nintendo, during which it transformed from manufacturer of traditional playing cards into a key player in the area of electronic entertainment. BEFORE MARIO provides a richly illustrated overview of over fifty Nintendo toys and games that are representative of these formative years."

BEFORE MARIO is 228 pages chockfull with information and hundreds of pictures taken exclusively for this book. It measures 24 by 20 centimeters.

A limited edition of 500 will be available during pre-order, with alternative cover.

More information here.

Big news!

I have some exciting news to share with you, about a project that has been cooking inside Before Mario's headquarters for quite some time: Before Mario has been turned into a book!

This brand new book will be released by Omaké Books, at the end of November. It will be available in English and French. More information here.