The book follows three generations of ford men henry ford sr. His twenty books include biographies of charles lindbergh and joe louis. Richard bak is a longtime resident of detroit and dearborn, michigan, and doubtless absorbed much of the ford legacy simply by growing up in a place that ford formed. Author richard bak offers a daring new perspective on the human drama that changed the shape of ford.
The two best books youll ever read on henry ford blog the. The two best books youll ever read on henry ford blog. Its all about keeping as many edsel automobiles on the road as. Fastmoving and rich with detail, baimes book shows how the fords worked a.
He was the president of ford motor company from 1919 until his death in 1943. Henry ford controlled every little part of his new river rouge plant, and destroyed anything that was off just by inches, to be rebuilt. Watts book is the best onevolume biography of henry ford that i have ever read despite all that has been written about ford, watts still manages to find new insights, said casey. By creating the first automobile that middleclass americans could afford, he converted the automobile from an expensive curiosity into an accessible conveyance that would profoundly impact the. Henry edsel tatman eddie, 90, of coles park, west portsmouth, passed away on wednesday, march 12, 2014, at somc hospice, portsmouth, oh. As mentioned earlier, ford did not appreciate edsels talents, and. That he was an alcoholic, for example, or that he was a homosexual. It is a true story perhaps better suited to a tv movie. The epic struggle between a father, son and the building of a worldwide business empire. Carefully crafted from thousands of ford archives, written interviews, and firsthand accounts told by people who knew the man, edsel. The story of henry fords forgotten son, brings into focus the remarkable life of edsel ford. Thf99953 edsel bryant ford was born in detroit to henry and clara ford on november 6, 1893.
The book chronicles edsels life from his early days of growing up in and around his fathers company, through the controversy of his world war i. Richard bak 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 companys transformation from successful manufacturer to business. 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. The most interesting pieces include the extended reminiscences by people who lived and worked closely with the fords, and especially with edsels family. Henry and edsel offers insight into the characters of henry and edsel ford and what it was that compelled them. Henry edsel eddie tatman 19232014 find a grave memorial.
Bak has received two book of the year awards from foreword magazine. It was all due to edsels high flying lifestyle, he said. Edsel bryant ford november 6, 1893 may 26, 1943 was an american business executive and philanthropist who was the son of pioneering industrialist henry ford and his wife clara jane bryant ford. The creation of the ford empire first edition by bak, richard isbn.
The book chronicles edsel s life from his early days of growing up in and around his fathers company, through the controversy of his world war i draft notice and. I would recommend it to anyone who might be interested in. Henry and edsel summary the creation of the ford empire by richard bak. 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 companys transformation from successful manufacturer to business empire. No dry corporate history, henry and edsel focuses on the epic battle of wills between the unyielding henry ford. 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 henrys heir apparent. Although henrys accomplishments are widely noted, his father, edsel also played a key role and changed the course of the company in dramatic ways. This is an excellent dual biography of henry and edsel, although, as in life, henry overshadows edsel in the book. Edselthe story of henry fords forgotten son by henry l. It confirmed other books ive read on the subject, which was why i purchased this book in the first place. Intrigue and tyranny in motor city the new york times.
The book chronicles edsels life from his early days of growing up in and around his fathers company, through the controversy of his world war i draft notice and. The main focus is the period up to and including wwii and the daunting task of producing armaments to support the allied war effort. 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. He died in 1947 of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 83 in fair lane, his dearborn estate, and. These are also very personal accounts of henry fords life. Henry bennett for control of the company during the 1920s and 1930s, the most cataclysmic period in automobile history.
Watts book is the best onevolume biography of henry ford that i have. He was a retired meat cutter for foodland, west portsmouth, and was a member of the church of. Henry 2d, who agreed to be interviewed for this book, is a survivor and no dope besides, for he was able to get rid of harry bennett and his crowd, and he ran the company for 34 years. The book provides a concise history of ford motor from 1903 through 1947 when henry ii assumed control of the company. He was born march 24, 1923, friendship, oh, to the late willis and anna sowards tatman.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. For example, ford did not appreciate the talents of his only son, edsel, who had a. One of many books on the ford motor company published in this, its centennial year, baks work focuses on the relationship between founder and patriarch henry ford and his son, edsel. The creation of the ford empire pdf, epub, docx and torrent then this site is not for you. Edsel is an automobile brand that was planned, developed, and manufactured by the ford motor company for model years 1958 to 1960. Edsel ford was not the shy and retiring type, easily pushed around by his inflexible father as we have been led to believe. Gayle warnock, public relations director for the edsel division of ford motor company. Get the key points from this book in less than 10 minutes.
As a historian, i too had wondered about these things and was always on the lookout for ways to prove anything about this most elusive. If youre looking for a free download links of henry and edsel. This book is not exactly a corporate history, not exactly a biography and not exactly a tellall celebrity book, but it has elements of each. Henry edsel stidhamhenry edsel stidham hank, 74 of anderson, died sunday, february 16, 2020 at mercy medical center of redding after a long battle with parkinsons, his wife charlotte and family. Henry and clara ford leaving edsel fords funeral, 1943 clara and edsel ford c. The creation of the ford empire kindle edition by bak, richard. The book presents a strong sense of time and the fords presence in and contribution to the events around them. If edsel would stop smoking or eat a proper diet, or go see other doctors, his health would improve. But early in the morning of may 26th, 1943, death came for edsel ford.
Henry ford passed away on september 15, 2016 at the age of 93 in new albany, indiana. In ill health, he ceded the presidency to his grandson henry ford ii in september 1945, and went into retirement. Henry ford project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. This content was uploaded by our users and we assume good faith they have the permission to share this book. With the edsel brand, ford had expected to make significant inroads into the market share of both general motors gm and chrysler and close the gap between itself and gm in the domestic american automotive market. Olson mined the ford family and business records to create a lively, wellillustrated account of henry fords first forty years, from his childhood. Henry ford july 30, 1863 april 7, 1947 was an american industrialist and business magnate, founder of the ford motor company and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. Henry ford refused to admit the truth about his sons condition. When we had mechanical or wind up toys given to us at christmas, we always said, dont let henry see them. This 1958 brochure for the edsel shows 18 midpriced models. Although ford did not invent the automobile or the assembly line, 1 he developed and manufactured the first automobile that many middle class americans could afford.
Over the years, various authors have intimated things about edsel ford, but have never been able to prove them. Funeral home services for henry are being provided by kraft funeral service. Henry tatman, 90 henry edsel tatman eddie, 90, of coles park, west portsmouth, passed away on wednesday, march 12, 2014, at somc hospice, portsmouth, oh. A new perspective on the ford motor empire chronicles the story of father and founder, henry ford, his gifted son edsel ford, and the second son, the menacing harry bennet, and their family conflicts, resulting in the. Hed sometimes commute to dearborn via the detroit river. 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. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain limited notes and highlighting. Edselthe story of henry fords forgotten son sae international. Richard bak detroit, mi is a veteran journalist who has written widely on the fords and the automobile industry. 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 worlds great business empires. Edsel ford became president of ford motor company and while his dad was away, and he decided to expand the administration building. It covers most of the first half of the 20th century. Henry ford july 30, 1863 april 7, 1947 was an american industrialist, the founder of the ford motor company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. As their only son, edsel seemed destined for a career at ford motor company.
Pdf henry and edsel download full pdf book download. After literally thousands of names were suggested, they eventually settled on edsel, the first name of henry fords son, henry iis fathersettled being the key word here. Edsels 1943 death brought henry ford out of retirement. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as cds or access codes. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. This wealth of choicestwodoor, fourdoor, hardtop, convertible, citation, corsair, pacer, ranger or wagon all at varying prices and with a multitude of color combinationsmay have added to the early demise of the edsel. See more ideas about edsel ford, ford and henry ford. This is the dramatic story of an epic struggle which describes the battle of wills between henry, edsel, and his. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading henry and edsel. The epic struggle between a father and son and the building of a wor.