iction . ▁ ▁Career ▁ ▁Comput ing ▁ ▁A ▁former ▁column ist ▁for ▁Windows ▁Magazine ▁and ▁Computer ▁Sho pper , ▁B anks ▁documented ▁the ▁growth ▁of ▁online ▁services ▁and ▁the ▁Internet ▁and ▁Web ▁from ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 8 0 s ▁on ward . ▁ ▁His ▁book ▁The ▁Mode m ▁Reference ▁was ▁a ▁guide ▁to ▁the ▁online ▁world ▁during ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 0 s ▁and ▁into ▁the ▁ 1 9 9 0 s , ▁s elling ▁more ▁than ▁ 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 ▁copies . ▁B anks ▁expl ored ▁Internet ▁crime ▁and ▁computer ▁priv acy ▁with ▁his ▁books ▁Web ▁Psych os , ▁St alk ers ▁and ▁P rank sters , ▁and ▁PC ▁Conf ident ial . ▁He ▁also ▁served ▁as ▁a ▁fre el ance ▁ac quis itions ▁editor ▁for ▁Ba en ▁Books ▁and ▁associate ▁editor ▁for ▁Ba en ' s ▁quarter ly ▁" book - a - z ine ", ▁and ▁New ▁Dest in ies ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 0 s . ▁ ▁B anks ▁also ▁wrote ▁On ▁the ▁Way ▁to ▁the ▁Web : ▁The ▁Secret ▁History ▁of ▁the ▁Internet , ▁which ▁tells ▁the ▁story ▁of ▁what ▁was ▁happening ▁online ▁before ▁the ▁Web , ▁including ▁the ▁histor ies ▁of ▁V ide ot ex ▁and ▁online ▁services ▁such ▁as ▁Com pu Ser ve , ▁The ▁Source , ▁Play NET , ▁A OL , ▁Q - Link , ▁View data , ▁and ▁Pr est el . ▁ ▁Science ▁fiction ▁ ▁His ▁non f iction ▁works ▁in ▁the