Henry Ford An Interpretation by Samuel S. Marquis

Description

Henry Ford the man — not the myth. There are many books about Ford the industrialist; this is the rare one about Ford the person. Written by the Reverend Samuel S. Marquis (1866–1948) — who headed Ford Motor Company’s Sociological Department and counted Ford as a close personal friend — Henry Ford: An Interpretation, first published in 1923, is an insider’s portrait drawn from years of daily contact with one of history’s most consequential and contradictory figures.

Marquis traces Ford’s transformation from a kind, dreaming inventor into the head of a vast industrial empire, probing the paradoxes that made him fascinating: the champion of the $5 day and mass production who distrusted bankers, experts, and much of the modern world his own factories created; the pacifist who built war machines; the folk hero with a dark streak of prejudice.

Intimate, candid, and unlike any other Ford biography, this remains essential for understanding the human being behind the assembly line — generous, visionary, maddening, and deeply complicated.

There are many books about Henry Ford the industrialist — this is the rare one about Henry Ford the man. Written by the Reverend Samuel S. Marquis (1866–1948), who headed Ford Motor Company’s Sociological Department and counted Ford as a close personal friend, Henry Ford: An Interpretation (first published 1923) is an insider’s portrait drawn from years of daily contact with one of history’s most consequential — and contradictory — figures.
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nMarquis traces Ford’s transformation from a kind, dreaming inventor into the head of a vast industrial empire, probing the paradoxes that made him fascinating: the champion of the $5 day and mass production who distrusted the modern world his own factories created; the peace advocate who sent the ill-fated Peace Ship to Europe; the man of simple tastes who wielded enormous power. Because Marquis knew Ford as a friend, he writes with unusual candor and warmth about his subject’s strengths, blind spots, and inner conflicts.
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nWidely considered one of the finest early biographies of Ford, this edition belongs to the Great Lakes Books series. An essential read for anyone interested in business history, American industry, or the human story behind the legend.