{"product_id":"fins-harley-earl-the-rise-of-general-motors-and-the-glory-days-of-detroit-paperback","title":"Fins: Harley Earl, the Rise of General Motors, and the Glory Days of Detroit - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eWilliam Knoedelseder\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe New York Times bestselling author of Bitter Brew chronicles the birth and rise to greatness of the American auto industry through the remarkable life of Harley Earl, an eccentric six-foot-five, stuttering visionary who dropped out of college and went on to invent the profession of automobile styling, thereby revolutionized the way cars were made, marketed, and even imagined.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHarleys Earl's story qualifies as a bona fide American family saga. It began in the Michigan pine forest in the years after the Civil War, traveled across the Great Plains on the wooden wheels of a covered wagon, and eventually settled in a dirt road village named Hollywood, California, where young Harley took the skills he learned working in his father's carriage shop and applied them to designing sleek, racy-looking automobile bodies for the fast crowd in the burgeoning silent movie business.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs the 1920s roared with the sound of mass manufacturing, Harley returned to Michigan, where, at GM's invitation, he introduced art into the rigid mechanics of auto-making. Over the next thirty years, he functioned as a kind of combination Steve Jobs and Tom Ford of his time, redefining the form and function of the country's premier product. His impact was profound. When he retired as GM's VP of Styling in 1958, Detroit reigned as the manufacturing capitol of the world and General Motors ranked as the most successful company in the history of business.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKnoedelseder tells the story in ways both large and small, weaving the history of the company with the history of Detroit and the Earl family as Fins examines the effect of the automobile on America's economy, culture, and national psyche.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis sweeping narrative captures the birth of the American auto industry through the epic life of the man who gave it style.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA Biography of an Innovator: \u003c\/b\u003e Follow the epic journey of Harley Earl, the eccentric, stuttering visionary who dropped out of college, revolutionized car design, and became the 'combination Steve Jobs and Tom Ford of his time.'\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Birth of Automobile Styling: \u003c\/b\u003e Go inside the creation of a new profession as Earl introduces art to the assembly line, battling engineers to transform utilitarian machines into objects of desire.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eHollywood Meets Detroit: \u003c\/b\u003e Discover the surprising link between the silent film industry and the dawn of custom car culture, as movie stars became the first clients for radical new designs.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Golden Age of the Auto Industry: \u003c\/b\u003e Witness the clash of titans like GM and Ford, the rise of Detroit as the world's manufacturing capitol, and the creation of an industry that defined the American century.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWilliam Knoedelseder tells the story of Harley Earl as a classic American family saga, beginning in the Michigan pine forests in the decade after the Civil War, crossing the Great Plains on the wooden spoke wheels of a covered wagon, and settling at the turn of the century in a tiny dirt street village called Hollywood. Here a teenage Harley applied the skills he learned in his father's carriage shop to designing sleek, racy-looking automobile bodies for the fast crowd in the budding silent movie business.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHired by General Motors in the middle of the Roaring Twenties, Harley introduced art and color into the rigid mechanics of mass auto manufacturing in Detroit, and for the next thirty years operated as a kind of combination Steve Jobs and Tom Ford of his time. His sense of how an American car should look and what it should embody paved the way for GM to become the most successful company on the planet, and earned him the distinction of being the first designer to be named a vice president of a major U.S. corporation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKnoedelseder delves into the family dynamics, personal tragedies, corporate battles, and moments of genius that shaped the man, weaving a broader narrative about the effect of the automobile on America's economy, culture, and national psyche.\u003c\/p\u003e--Detroit News\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWilliam Knoedelseder tells the story of Harley Earl as a classic American family saga, beginning in the Michigan pine forests in the decade after the Civil War, crossing the Great Plains on the wooden spoke wheels of a covered wagon, and settling at the turn of the century in a tiny dirt street village called Hollywood. Here a teenage Harley applied the skills he learned in his father's carriage shop to designing sleek, racy-looking automobile bodies for the fast crowd in the budding silent movie business.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHired by General Motors in the middle of the Roaring Twenties, Harley introduced art and color into the rigid mechanics of mass auto manufacturing in Detroit, and for the next thirty years operated as a kind of combination Steve Jobs and Tom Ford of his time. His sense of how an American car should look and what it should embody paved the way for GM to become the most successful company on the planet, and earned him the distinction of being the first designer to be named a vice president of a major U.S. corporation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKnoedelseder delves into the family dynamics, personal tragedies, corporate battles, and moments of genius that shaped the man, weaving a broader narrative about the effect of the automobile on America's economy, culture, and national psyche.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 336\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.9 x 7.9 x 5.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 03, 2019\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44064112967814,"sku":"9780062289087","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0664\/3446\/5926\/files\/eAldPVVsE39780062289087.webp?v=1781310468","url":"https:\/\/profixdiy.com\/products\/fins-harley-earl-the-rise-of-general-motors-and-the-glory-days-of-detroit-paperback","provider":"ProFix Home Repair","version":"1.0","type":"link"}