A few weeks ago, I visited Jobs for the last time in his Palo Alto, CA home. He had moved to a downstairs bedroom because he was too weak to go up and down stairs. He was curled up in some pain, but his mind was still sharp and his humor vibrant. We talked about his childhood, and he gave me some pictures of his father and family to use in my biography. As a writer, I was used to being detached, but I was hit by a wave of sadness as I tried to say goodbye. In order to mask my emotion, I asked the one question that was still puzzling me: Why had he been so eager, during close to 50 interviews and conversations over the course of two years, to open up so much for a book when he was usually so private? “I wanted my kids to know me,” he said. “I wasn’t always there for them, and I wanted them to know why and to understand what I did.”

The above is an excerpt from Walter Isaacon’s Steve Jobs that’s both touching and a little depressing. Whereas my kids might like a little more distance, going to my grave knowing that they won’t get me until they “read the book” is sad and more than a little cold.

All the more, it will be a great read.

Previously, Steve Jobs was scheduled to ship in March 2012 and then the date was pushed up to November 21. And, with his passing, it’s been pushed up another month.

Isaacson’s Steve Jobs is available for pre-order on Apple’s own iBooks ($16.99), as well as Amazon — hardcover ($17.88) and Kindle ($16.99).