Table of Contents

PROLOGUE: The Legend of Henry Ford

PART ONE: The Road to Fame

One—Farm Boy
Two—Machinist
Three—Inventor
Four—Businessman
Five—Celebrity
Six—Entrepreneur

PART TWO: The Miracle Maker

Seven—Consumer
Eight—Producer
Nine—Folk Hero
Ten—Reformer
Eleven—Victorian
Twelve—Politician

PART THREE: The Flivver King

Thirteen—Legend
Fourteen—Visionary
Fifteen—Moralist
Sixteen—Positive Thinker
Seventeen—Emperor
Eighteen—Father
Nineteen—Bigot

PART FOUR: The Long Twilight

Twenty—Antiquarian
Twenty-one—Individualist
Twenty-two—Despot
Twenty-three—Dabbler
Twenty-four—Educator
Twenty-five—Figurehead

EPILOGUE: The Sage of Dearborn

Acknowledgments
Notes
Index

About the Author

Steven Watts is a historian and writer who has charted the sweeping evolution of American culture in a number of highly-praised books. His series of biographies of major figures-Henry Ford, Dale Carnegie, Walt Disney, Hugh Hefner-has explored the shaping of a modern value-system devoted to consumerism, self-fulfillment, leisure, and personality. Two earlier books on the Early Republic era examined the shift from an older society of republican virtue to a 19th-century Victorian era devoted to self-control, individual character, and the self-made man.

Watts' books have led to involvement in a number of media projects, including several films for PBS, the History Channel, and documentary venues in Germany and Brazil. He also has appeared in a variety of programs on CBS, NBC, CNBC, NPR, Fox, Fox News, C-Span, Bloomberg News, MSNBC, BBC, and Irish National Radio. He is currently a professor of history at the University of Missouri.

Reviews

“The implicit claim of Watts’s admirable book is almost inarguable–that it’s impossible to understand 20th-century America without knowing the story of Henry Ford.” –The New York Times“Ford has had many biographers. . . . None, however, comes close to Steven Watts. . . . He brilliantly reveals the nature of Ford’s genius.” –Chicago Tribune“Steven Watts attempts the most integrated understanding to date of Ford’s enormous influence and varied appeal. . . . The fascinating result may change the way Henry Ford is remembered.” –San Francisco Chronicle

"The implicit claim of Watts's admirable book is almost inarguable-that it's impossible to understand 20th-century America without knowing the story of Henry Ford." -The New York Times"Ford has had many biographers. . . . None, however, comes close to Steven Watts. . . . He brilliantly reveals the nature of Ford's genius." -Chicago Tribune"Steven Watts attempts the most integrated understanding to date of Ford's enormous influence and varied appeal. . . . The fascinating result may change the way Henry Ford is remembered." -San Francisco Chronicle

In this outstanding biography, Watts (history, Univ. of Missouri), author of the intriguing and well-received The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life, turns his considerable talents to an in-depth and remarkable investigation of the life and times of Henry Ford. Building on earlier studies, such as Allan Nevins's three-volume biography, and complementing recent work on the Ford family and the company by historians like Douglas Brinkley (Wheels for the World), Watts brings to life the complicated Ford, who could promote educational attainment for all children while at the same time fomenting unbridled hatred toward all Jewish people. Watts provides a sophisticated analysis and helps readers understand both Ford and the culture within which he thrived. An exceptional biography of an exceptional man; highly recommended.-Ed Goedeken, Iowa State Univ. Lib., Ames Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.