The creativity book originated
from a suggestion by a friend who was on the board of a small technical
publishing company. The book was born in a small car on the way
east when Kay insisted that we consider this task seriously. The
first outline was generated on the highway at full speed. The only paper available to note it down was a laundry bag from a Holliday Inn
and we always felt that the appropriate title for the book should
have been "Jottings on a Laundry Bag." We thought the Oops title
would tell a better story.
The book was translated into
Japanese and is available in a pocketbook series. Professor Kamide, the
kind translator and promoter of the Japanese edition changed the
title to "2 + 2 = 5", which well represents the creative goal of
the writing.