A couple of months ago I started having a good look around eBay and soon discovered a wealth of old Commodore 64 hardware, software and magazines for sale. I very quickly picked up the "retro" bug and started searching for websites with information about the C64. One of the best websites I came across was the "Def Guide to ZZap!64". This website had scans of most of the issues of the magazine from the mid eighties to the mid nineties, when the magazine finally finished. Although they briefly mentioned Commodore Format and had scans of most of the covers, they didn't have any of the actual magazines scanned in (not surprisingly considering the scans are quite big!). So, like any good entrepreneur, I saw a gap in the market and decided to start up my own website!
I started searching on eBay for issues of Commodore Format for sale and soon discovered that most of them were available. I started buying in earnest and soon had a pretty good collection. Click here to find out which issues we are missing.
The Commodore 64 was one of the first computers that made computing accessible to millions of households all around the world. Commodore Format is an excellent record of the C64's life, from its early infancy to its eventual demise in the mid-to-late 90s. In this day and age of electrical storage and retrival there really is no excuse for such an amazing resource (namely the Commodore Format magazine!) to be lost and this is where the Commodore Format Library comes in!
I am planning on making available on-line every issue of Commodore Format that was published. I have already got a good number of the issues but am still after more. Please Click here to find out which issues we are missing. I am going to try and get 1 issue on-line per week, worldload-permitting!
I have tried contacting the original publishers, Future Publishing, to ask for permission to reproduce these magazines as technically they still hold the copyright. Unfortunately they haven't replied to me. I have taken this to mean that they really don't care about the magazine any more (after all it is over 10 years old already!) and so I am going ahead with reproducing the magazines. However, I do repect copyright and want readers to realise that Future Publishing do still own the rights to this magazine. The only thing I have copyrighted is the layout and design of this website, not the contents. If Future Publishing wish to contact me about this, then they can e-mail me at webmaster@commodoreformat.co.uk.
I have already collected nearly all the covertapes from the magazines, which have some amazing games, programs and demos on them! I only need a couple more to complete my collection. Please click here to find out which covertapes we are missing!
I want to be able to share these with the world too, but I'm not sure the best way of doing it! I have a full C64 set-up, with cassette recorder, disk drive (5.25inch - hopefully I'll be able to get the 1581 3.5inch drive soon too!) and Action Replay cartridge for ripping games. I am still unsure, however, of what the best way to get these onto the PC is. If you have any advice please e-mail me at webmaster@commodoreformat.co.uk.
Unfortunately I cannot help with individual requests for games, it would just be too much work! However I do plan on creating a database online which will contain all the games previewed, reviewed and "busted" in CF's Hints and Tips section. You will then be able to search for a game and find out which issues it was previewed, reviewed or "busted" in and then link straight there. This should help you navigate the magazines easier!
If you want to be kept informed of when this facility will be available then please join the Commodore Format Library Mailing List!
The simple answer is YES! If you would like to help please visit the Getting Involved page to find out what you can do! 
Getting Involved
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Site Last Updated: 29th October 2004 |
(c) Peter James Holl 2004 |
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