Ford

Author: Douglas Brinkley
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2005-07-01
Features: This is a magnificent epic! In this comprehensive and engaging work, Douglas Brinkley uses vivid prose to portray a fascinating figure and his profound impact on his time. Many important questions surround the life of Henry Ford, and The Ford addresses them fully, insightfully, and fearlessly—Robert A. Caro, author of Master of the Senate: Lyndon Johnson
Whether viewed politically or economically, Henry Ford was the most important industrialist of his era. The Ford tells the story from then to now, encompassing all relevant details. We owe thanks not only to the author Douglas Brinkley for his literary and historical talent but also to the Ford family, Ford Motor Company, and many others. The company abandoned its narrow sense of secrecy and provided an inexhaustible wealth of detailed information. Beyond praising the author's outstanding historical achievements and literary genius, the one thing I would most like to do is recommend this book—John Kenneth Galbraith, American economist
Douglas Brinkley's The Ford is an excellent commemorative history of Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company's centennial. This rigorous academic work, based on Ford's archival records, offers insightful evaluations of both the man and his company. It is the kind of industrial history we hope to see—thorough, in-depth research set against the backdrop of American economic and social history. Anyone interested in 20th-century America will enjoy this book—Robert Dallek, author of An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy
Historically, few things have had as great an impact on human civilization as the Ford Motor Company. This automobile manufacturer, which pioneered mass production, was founded a century ago by the eccentric visionary and mechanic Henry Ford with a group of arrogant, quirky geniuses, and it brought the entire industrial world into the modern era. Alongside other social upheavals, the affordable Ford Model T thrilled the American working class, while the generous "five-dollar-a-day" wage redefined labor relations in the industrial society. One of the greatest, most charming historians of all time, Douglas Ford, wrote The Ford, a rich and colorful historical saga that shows us how Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company changed our world. From the astonishing success of the Model T to the beloved A-type and V8, and through the glorious years of the Thunderbird, Mustang, andTaurus, Brinkley reveals in this timeless work the fascinating details of the Ford Motor Company's great achievements. Each chapter features outstanding innovators, including Thomas Edison, Alfred Sloan, Diego Rivera, and Charles Lindbergh. Three factories also become the protagonists of a dramatic story: Highland Park, Rouge, and Willow Run, where B-24 bombers were mass-produced during World War II. Brinkley tells the story of the Ford Motor Company's global expansion and its acquisition of Volvo, Land Rover, Jaguar, and Mazda in the 1990s, as well as its darker side, including the founder's antisemitism and inappropriate wartime pacifism. Brinkley introduces us to many vivid business personalities. There is the volatile early organizational genius James Couzens (later a U.S. Senator), the lively and combative CEO Lee Iacocca, and today's passionate young chairman and CEO, William Clay Ford Jr. Now, young Ford is leading the Ford Motor Company through tough times with his dedication and vision. The Ford Motor Company is one of the greatest American enterprises. As a top-tier biography and the business history of Ford, the outstanding qualities of The Ford lie not only in the fascinating new details revealed by Brinkley but also in the sweeping story and the exhilarating fresh prose. Brinkley has already proven himself a master of popular historical writing in his previous works, and The Ford is his greatest achievement.