Reviews (1)

Corvette Engineer tells All---Great Stuff!
At the end of this book, in his bibliography, authorMcLellan states, "The classic book on the Corvette is still: Corvette: America's Star-Spangled Sports Car." In paying homage to Karl Ludvigsen's seminal work, Dave McLellan shows he appreciates and respects fine writing, but anyone who reads McLellan's Corvette From the Inside will realize it is at least a classic in the same vein. I read this book twice-it's just that good.Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - History    3. Automotive - Repair & Maintenance    4. Chevrolet Motor Division    5. Corvette automobile    6. General Motors Corporation    7. General Motors Corporation.    8. History    9. Transportation   

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - Repair & Maintenance    3. Domestic Auto And Light Truck Repair    4. Transportation    5. Technology / Technical & Manufacturing Industries & Trades    6. Transportation / Automotive / Repair & Maintenance / General   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Distribution    5. Industries - Automobile Industry    6. Purchasing & Buying    7. Purchasing & supply management   

Subjects:  1. Automobile repair shops    2. Automobile trade and industry    3. Automobiles    4. Economic aspects    5. Service stations   

Subjects:  1. General Motors Corporation    2. General Motors automobile    3. General Motors automobiles    4. History    5. Sale Books   

Editorial Review

In conjunction with its 100th anniversary, the Ford Motor Company opened its monumental archives to the unfettered research of author/historian Douglas Brinkley. And while the 800-page history that resulted from that work (as well as Brinkley's tireless, amply footnoted source work elsewhere) is comprehensive to a fault, the scope and enduring impact of the industrial colossus wrought by Henry Ford make it often seem like mere introduction. Brinkley's meticulous, enlightened work can't help but find endless fascination with the company's founder, whose presence resonates through every phase of the company's history, from its fitful start (FMC was the third company to bear the Ford name), through the rise of the Model T (still one of the most ubiquitous and revolutionary mechanical contrivances of the last millennia), to its cycles of corporate decay and rebirth (variously via Iacocca's Mustang in the 60's and the technical innovations and potent retrenchment of trans-nationalism in the 90's). Henry Ford remains one of the greatest human paradoxes in a century filled with them: a largely self-taught engineer who couldn't read a blueprint, yet became a mass-production visionary; an employer whose social conscience (and no small amount of shrewd business acumen) doubled the salary of his employees one era, employed thugs to crush their union organizing efforts the next; a world figure who read little, yet published much, including anti-war editorials and vile, anti-Semitic tracts--despite the fact that his monumental manufacturing facilities were designed by Jews whose friendship and professional relationships he cultivated. The enviro-social impact of Ford's industrial innovations continues to loom, and Brinkley hardly ignores them. But his research is largely focused on the rich players (and their often perplexing psychology) of the Ford saga, all-too-human characters whose ambitious empire will continue to cast its long shadows over many a generation to come. Read more

Reviews (16)

A Sponsored History
Douglas Brinkley has convinced me that you can at once be sponsored by a corporation to do its history AND not fawn over the organization AND write readably.
The story of Ford, from Henry to Bill
Wheels for the World is a captivating look at the Ford Motor Company from its earliest conception to the present day.Douglas Brinkley, being granted unrivalled access to Ford's archives, takes the reader back to the beginning of Henry Ford's youth onwards to the incorporation of the Ford Motor Company to today.The richness and detail Brinkley provides is what sets this apart from other historical biographical works.And in a sense, this is what the book is, a biographical look at Henry Ford and his family with a historical look at the company.Brinkley brings to life so many different characters that brought profound changes to Ford that have long since been forgotten today.People such as Alex Malcomson (who provided the finances in the creation of the final iteration of Ford), James Couzens (the financial and administrative wizard in the early days who created a corporate structure from scratch), and many others are all covered in-depth in this book as well as the main players such as Sorensen and Iacocca.He also covers different aspects of Ford such as the creation of Ford's Aviation Department and the positive relationship he had with African-Americans.Neither does Brinkley whitewash the controversies Henry Ford nor the Ford Company stirred in their day (from anti-Semitism to the Pinto debacle).However, there are a few issues with this book.Although overall very detailed and encompassing, after the passing of Henry Ford, the book begins to accelerate through the companies' history.This is especially profound after the retirement of Henry Ford II where Brinkley rushes through 2 decades until he reaches the inauguration of William Clay Ford Jr. and then proceeds to faun over him as if he were a great saviour (which even today we still don't know).Although not an extreme problem, it does unfortunately not tie in as well with the rest of the books fascinating details and perspectives.One feels that Brinkley was growing tired of writing (and it is quite the read at 764 pages) and wanted to speed things up a little so he could wrap up sooner.All told though, this nagging detail is not enough to negatively affect Brinkley's work.Wonderfully written and full of details, Brinkley's book may literally be one of the last books you may ever need to read on Henry Ford and his company.

Henry Ford & Ford Motor -- what a story!
Last year, I read a book about Henry Ford and his anti-Semitism.At that time, I had a very narrow view about the man - I wish now that I had read this book, Douglas Brinkley's study of Ford and his company, before I had read that one.
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Subjects:  1. Automobile engineers    2. Automobile industry and trade    3. Automotive - History    4. Biography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Business    7. Business & Economics    8. Business History    9. Business/Economics    10. Corporate & Business History - General    11. History    12. Industrialists    13. Industries - Automobile Industry    14. Motor Vehicle Design And Construction    15. United States    16. Business & Economics / Industries / Automobile Industry   

Reviews (1)

Over 300 Photographs
This book is a must for any Kalamazoo historian, or anyone who is passionate about early automobile history. There are over 300 photographs, and a whole section in color. Much of the book is told as a story, which really brings to life the people and times of Kalamazoo. A beautiful book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Transportation / Automotive / Domestic / History    2. Transportation / Automotive / Antique & Classic    3. Automobiles, Steam    4. Automotive - Antique & Classic    5. Automotive - History    6. Classic Cars    7. History    8. Kalamazoo    9. Kalamazoo (Mich.)    10. Michigan    11. Transportation    12. Automobile industry and trade    13. Automobiles   

Features

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Reviews (2)

Did we read the same book?
Banfe's treatment of the airline industry neatly points out the differences between airline management and the more generic models of general introductory texts.It is the best text I could find on the subject, and not unreasonably priced for a specialized text with a limited audience.The book includes a wealth of short airline-related case studies to illustrate his points.

Not worth the money
This book seemed hastily prepared, and describes the subject of airline management in language which is almost vague enough to apply to management of a large company in any industry, rather than focusing on the particular aspects of airline management which set it apart from other industries.I found the book very overpriced at $70 ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Air Transportation    2. Airlines    3. Aviation - General    4. Business / Economics / Finance    5. Engineering - Automotive    6. General    7. Management    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Special Industries Management    10. Technology    11. Technology / Engineering / Automotive   

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques/Collectibles    3. Catalogs    4. Collectors and collecting    5. History    6. Model car racing    7. Prices    8. Slot cars    9. Toys    10. United States    11. Antiques & collectables: toys, games & models    12. Aurora Plastics Corporation   

Reviews (3)

One step from useless
Very little,incomplete, general information.Nothing specific about any of the engines listed.If you need a manual for a service or repair procedure that you have never done, look elsewhere!Also, the type set looks like someone typed it on a "1928 Underwood" typewriter.
My engine is not covered
I bought this book expecting my 1990 Johnson 88HP engine to be covered.This book does not even list any 88 HP Johnson engines.I am very dissappointed with it.

an incomplete hodge podge of information that is incomplete
This book gives the bare minimum of information. The information recieved will direct you to another page/section where that information is incomplete. After all how can someone tuneup an engine withoutnomenclature/adjustment settings? I was expecting a lot more. Example;Seeillistration #4........There is no illistration #4! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive - General    2. Boating - General    3. Handbooks, manuals, etc    4. Maintenance and repair    5. Outboard motors    6. Reference    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Ships & Shipbuilding - Engineering    9. Ships & Shipbuilding - Repair & Maintenance    10. Technical & Manufacturing Trades    11. Technology    12. Transportation    13. Technology / Technical & Manufacturing Industries & Trades   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Contemporary Politics - China    4. Corporate & Business History - General    5. Economic Conditions    6. Economic Integration    7. General Motors Corporation    8. Industrial management    9. Industries - Automobile Industry    10. Management    11. Organizational change    12. Sociology    13. Business & Management    14. General Motors Corporation--Management    15. Road vehicle manufacturing industry    16. Social Science / Sociology / General    17. Sociology, Social Studies    18. USA   

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - History    3. Automotive - Pictorial    4. Transportation    5. Motor cars: general interest    6. Road vehicle manufacturing industry    7. Transportation / Automotive / General    8. United Kingdom, Great Britain   

Subjects:  1. Automotive - Miscellaneous Vehicles    2. Automotive - Trucks    3. Business & Economics    4. Business / Economics / Finance    5. Business/Economics    6. Industries - Transportation    7. Transportation   

Reviews (1)

An interesting telling of the first three generations that built and ran the Ford Motor Company
This book recounts the origins and life of the Ford family from the rise of Henry Ford, the founding the great automotive company, its ebbs and flows, through the reign of Henry Ford II.It reads very well and has a great deal of interesting information.
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Subjects:  1. 1863-1947    2. Automobile industry and trade    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Business    7. Corporate & Business History - General    8. Family    9. Family Relationships    10. Ford Motor Company    11. Ford automobile    12. Ford family    13. Ford, Henry,    14. History    15. Political    16. United States    17. Biography & Autobiography / General    18. Biography: general    19. Road vehicle manufacturing industry   

Reviews (1)

best book I ever read
This book is, without doubt, the best book I ever read ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Advertising    3. Advertising & Promotion    4. Art & Art Instruction    5. Automobile industry and trade    6. Automobiles    7. Automotive - General    8. Business & Economics    9. Display Advertising    10. Domestic Automobiles - History    11. General    12. History    13. Reference    14. United States    15. Advertising industry    16. Road & motor vehicles: general interest   

Reviews (6)

How to be a savvy car shopper- brilliant behind the scenes of how a dealership operates!!
It's a MUST read. All car shoppers as well as anyone facing a purchasing negotiation can benefit from this book. It offers precise tips on how to avoid common pitfalls and get the best deal possible in any car purchase or lease situation. It's also a great read and a facinating tour of how a car dealership operates. It took us forever to decide whether to buy or lease until we read this book!

A God send for a car buying rookie
I have to confess that I am someone who managed to get through the first 20 years or so of adulthood without ever having bought a car.But now that I may have to bite the bullet, I found this book indispensable.I never realized that buying a car can be such a minefield and that there so many things that a prospective buyers needs to be aware of.I thought that this book gave me some very clear principles to use when approaching a show room.I particularly liked the advice about getting financing at your own financial institution instead of falling for the financing deals that the dealerships will try to offer.I also liked the authors point about NOT trying to understand the dealer and his or her perspective - that is probably the first mistake I would have made had I not read this book.The book is written with a very witty style and I found that once I started reading I couldn't put it down and read practically all of it in one sitting!

FINALLY...THE ONE!!!
I have been buying new cars for over 40 years, and finally, after not knowing whether I was paying too much or not, I gothold of this book, and everything changed for me. Just by following the eight commandments, which are easy and straightforward, I'm finding car buying can happen without hassle or mystery, and by using the web sites listed in the appendix, I know where to look up everything I could possibly need. Finally, I feel in control, and so much more confident that I'm not spending too much money. The stories communicate how important the commandments really are. Besides being a wise investment, this book is fun to read.
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Subjects:  1. Automobiles    2. Automotive    3. Automotive - Buyer's Guides    4. Consumer Guides    5. General    6. Negotiation    7. Personal Finance - General    8. Purchasing    9. Reference    10. Consumer guides & advice    11. Economics, Finance, Business and Industry    12. Personal finance    13. Reference / Consumer Guides   

Subjects:  1. Automobile industry and trade    2. Automotive Engineering (General)    3. History    4. Reference    5. Studebaker Corporation    6. United States   

Editorial Review

The story of General Motors' first mass-produced electric car, the EV1 (at first, unfortunately, named the Impact). This project was decades in gestation, the early dreams of pollution and noise-free vehicles taking a long time to progress beyond visionary prototypes. This was partly because of opposition to the concept from oil companies and the automotive industry. Eventually a combination of government prodding and technological advances in battery design made it possible. Schnayerson describes the supportive role of GM chairman Robert Stempel and the tenacity of a group of true-believing engineers who kept the idea alive after Stempel was ousted. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Did GM really want to build an electric car? Here's your answer.
This is a fascinating inside story about the development of electric cars in the early '90s.
The Story Behind the Most Successful Modern Electric Car
Shnayerson tells the story up to when the GM Impact was introduced.The film "Who Killed the Electric Car?" got me interested in electric cars.The GM Impact (EV1) was the most successful modern electric car, but it disappeared into the crushers shortly after its introduction.
2006 Who Killed the Electric Car
This is an in depth account of the development of the EV1. Looking back at in now, it seems like such a travesty that these incredible cars were pulled off the road and crushed by General Motors. Eavery single car had $13,000 worth of taxpayer money in them and General Motors yanked them away from those that leased them at the end of their term. Taking them away from some drivers who grew to love the car and never stopping at a gas station again was like prying it "from my cold dead hands" as Charlton Heston once said. A perfect companion piece to the story that begins with this book would have to be the film "Who Killed the Electric Car?" ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Industries - General    2. Sociology    3. EV1 automobile    4. Biography & Autobiography / Business    5. Electric Vehicles    6. Business & Economics    7. Business    8. History Of Specific Companies    9. General Motors Corporation    10. History   

Reviews (13)

What A Car! What A Story! What A Book!
At last, a book with a story as dramatic as the car it produced! And, what a BEAUTY! VERY well written.
Amust for engineering fans as well as 'vette enthusiasts!
This story of how a large project happens in a big company is a must read for fans of engineering. It should be required reading in every engineering school in the country!
Amaizing inside information on the C5 development
Even though I don't own a C5 (yet) it was very interesting to see how the C5 was born from the C4 (which I own) and many of it's short commings were over come. The bureaucracy that exist in large corporations as well, was exposed.Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques/Collectibles    2. Automotive - General    3. Corvette automobile    4. Industrial Management    5. Marketing - General    6. Transportation    7. Automobiles    8. Business & Economics / Marketing / General    9. Business & Economics-Industrial Management    10. Business & Economics-Marketing - General    11. Road & motor vehicles: general interest    12. Road transport industries    13. Road vehicle manufacturing industry    14. Transportation / Automotive / General    15. Types    16. USA   

Reviews (6)

An interesting memior of a first job
As other reviewers have mentioned, parts of this reflect experiences the author would have at any first job.
Any First Job
After considerable time in academe, Darius Mehri encountered many difficulties that are common in any first job. Some are more pronounced in Japan, while other difficulties would be more pronounced in other countries. With a few more job experiences under his belt, Darius may learn that - in any setting - things such as protocol, advice from senior members, not immediately tilting at windmills, would help him have a more rewarding work experience.

Excellent insights into life in "Toyota-land"
The book is filled with terrific insights into what the workplace is really like at a Toyota subsidary in Japan.The insights are provided by Darius Mehri, an American who worked there as an engineer for several years and kept a diary of his experiences and observations.Mehri details the often unfortunate limitations that a rigid hierarchical system can create, as this rigidity is usually blindly obeyed despite the limits on technological advancement.Employees are often forced to abandon their common sense in order to support the understood order of the workplace, which often leads to absurd results.As Mehri's journey progresses, conditions at the factory worsen in a sort of Kafkaesquian absurdity, where legitimate questions are raised (by him) but no legitimate answers are given (by the company).Unfortunately, most of the workers are helpless to change their plight as the events unfold.Mehri artfully describes this state of events, which are somewhat depressing, but he also sprinkles his story with numerous comedic takes on the insanity that he observes around himself!This is defintiely a worthwhile, quick read - and he has put more information at his website, www.notesfromtoyotaland.com. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Japan    2. Automobile industry and trade    3. Business & Economics    4. Business / Economics / Finance    5. Business/Economics    6. Industrial relations    7. Industries - Automobile Industry    8. Infrastructure    9. Japan    10. Management    11. Work environment    12. Asian / Middle Eastern history    13. Road vehicle manufacturing industry    14. Work & labour