Henry and Edsel : the creation of the Ford Empire

Select an Action

Title:

Author:

Bak, Richard, 1954-

ISBN:

9780471234876

Personal Author:

Bak, Richard, 1954-

Publication Information:

Hoboken, N.J. : Wiley, 2003.

Physical Description:

p. cm.

Contents:

1. Farmboy, tinkerer -- 2. The horse is gone -- 3. Rear view mirror : Ford the "automobileer" in 1900 -- 4. Who can't afford a fordmobile? -- 5. Hunka tin -- 6. The five dollar day -- 7. Rear view mirror : the crystal palace in 1914 -- 8. War on several fronts -- 9. Joy ride -- 10. Farewell, lizzie -- 11. Chronicle of the neglected truth -- 12. The little man in the basement -- 13. Rear view mirror : the crown prince at work and at play -- 14. Airships and time machines -- 15. An invitation to organize -- 16. Bullets and frescoes -- 17. A matter of style -- 18. The overpass -- 19. Rear view mirror : battling "Fordism" in 1937 -- 20. A new social order -- 21.

Abstract:

"Henry and Edsel is the first biography to focus on both the legendary founder of the Ford Motor Company and the son who led the company's transformation from successful manufacturer to business empire. Author Richard Bak offers a daring new perspective on the human drama that changed the shape of Ford. He examines the ongoing friction between Henry and Edsel over adapting to a changing competitive environment and lays bare the stark contrasts between the two men - both their personalities and their approach to the design, construction, and marketing of automobiles.".

"In these pages, Henry Ford emerges as a complex and self-contradictory man who was not entirely comfortable in the new world that he had done so much to create. Renowned as an innovator, he resisted desperately needed changes in his own company - everything from painting cars any color other than black to providing financing for car buyers. A self-styled friend of the working man, he despised labor unions and appointed the ruthless Henry Bennett to squash any hint of unionization at Ford.".

"Among the many surprises in this fascinating exploration of the ultimate family business run by the quintessential business family is its portrait of Edsel Ford. Often viewed as a weak and ineffectual manager, Edsel is revealed as a gifted, levelheaded, and imaginative businessman with a keen sense of where the market was headed. When the company's very survival was at stake during the tumultuous 1920s and 1930s, it was Edsel who envisioned and pushed for the daring changes that turned Ford into a powerful, modern corporation."

Personal Subject:

Ford, Henry, 1863-1947.

Ford, Edsel, 1893-1943.

Corporate Subject:

Ford Motor Company -- History.

Subject Term:

Industrialists -- United States -- Biography.

Automobile industry and trade -- United states -- History.

Copies:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Copy	Status
Searching... 1:IIEMSA	1:GEN-BOOK	33168015728880	338.76292092273 B166H 2003	1	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

The epic struggle between a father and son and the building of a worldwide business empire
In this retelling of the story of the rise of Ford Motors, journalist Richard Bak offers a daring new perspective on the human drama that helped shape one of the world's great business empires. No dry corporate history, Henry and Edsel focuses on the epic battle of wills between the unyielding Henry Ford, his gifted son Edsel, and his "second son," the brutal and insidious Harry Bennet who rose from barroom brawler to become Henry's heir apparent. Bak dispels the common misperception of Edsel Ford as a weak and ineffectual manager, and explains that it was in fact Edsel's level-headedness and imaginative business solutions and that allowed the company to survive the many challenges to its survival in the first half of the twentieth century. Timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary celebration of Ford Motor Company, Henry and Edsel is sure to be warmly received by history buffs and business readers.
Richard Bak (Detroit, MI) is a veteran journalist who has written widely on the Fords and the automobile industry.