Yesterday Fortune had an article on their site called, “Isaacson: Jobs biography could expand

My initial reaction was one of excitement because, like many people, I felt that the content in the book was lacking. It was a good overview, but didn’t satisfy the finer details that many people were hungering for since the book was announced. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt a sense of unease that I couldn’t pinpoint. More information or further detail about Steve Jobs isn’t a bad thing, so what was it about the concept of adding to the biography that unsettled me?

Then I realized that it was the way that Isaacson explained the decision to potentially add to the book. Said Isaacson:

“This is the first or second draft,” he said, referring to his book’s role in documenting Jobs’ life. “It’s not the final draft.”

That, to me is irresponsible.

For him to put out a book that the world was waiting for, that was touted as giving access to a man that no one outside of his family was ever really given, and to say it was simply a first draft didn’t sit right with me. What is the reasoning for putting it that way? Why say you may add to the book going forward rather than getting it right the first time? I think there are two reasons this may be the case.

1. He rushed it after Jobs’ death to capitalize on the opportunity.

When Jobs died, the book was already in the final stages of being released, they simply pushed up the release date by about a month. I don’t think it’s inconceivable that with the emotion surrounding the death of Jobs, Isaacson (or more likely the publisher) saw that they had to get the book out there to answer the questions that so many were asking after the shock of the death. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The problem is, if the book was still just the first draft and there was intent to someday add to it, why push up the release? Why not put the facts in at that point to make the book everything it could be while the world was watching and waiting? We don’t know if Isaacson wanted to add to the book, but there just wasn’t time. It seems doubtful.

That’s why I think it’s a little disingenuous to say this is simply a first draft and why I think the second scenario is more likely.

2. Isaacson thought the book was done…until it was out there.

While the book was certainly well received (and has since become a best seller…scratch that the best seller), it has also had its share of criticism. I think that after people started talking about what was missing from the book, Isaacson realized that he had missed to some extent and now wants to go back and hopefully give people what they want.

While I think that’s commendable, I still ask – Why not do that the first time? I tend to agree with people who say that he didn’t have the background in the tech industry to properly judge the information that would be viewed as important by that community. Hopefully now, he has a better understanding and can answer that thirst for information.

Why is this important?

While this is certainly a small item and doesn’t take away from the wild success of the book, I think it’s wrong to say that this book that so many waited for, for so long and was to be the source of record about a man who changed the world is simply a draft.

This is an opportunity that only one man was given and can never be given to anyone else. To say that the book is only a first draft implies that he didn’t do all that he could have in writing it, which is irresponsible, especially when you consider the monumental he was given.

I don’t think anyone could have lived up to the expectations that many in the tech community had for the book, I just think that it could have been a little closer to a final version – especially since it seems that Isaacson had the information, he just chose not to include it.

Hopefully, the updates will get us closer to the book we wanted in the first place.