The vagabonds : the story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison's ten-year road trip

The Resource The vagabonds : the story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison's ten-year road trip
Label
The vagabonds : the story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison's ten-year road trip
Title remainder
the story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison's ten-year road trip
Statement of responsibility
by Jeff Guinn
Creator
Author
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
"In 1914 Henry Ford and naturalist John Burroughs visited Thomas Edison in Florida and toured the Everglades. The following year Ford, Edison, and tire maker Harvey Firestone joined together on a summer camping trip and decided to call themselves the Vagabonds. They would continue their summer road trips until 1925, when they announced that their fame made it too difficult for them to carry on. Although the Vagabonds traveled with an entourage of chefs, butlers, and others, this elite fraternity also had a serious purpose: to examine the conditions of America's roadways and improve the practicality of automobile travel. Cars were unreliable and the roads were even worse. But newspaper coverage of these trips was extensive, and as cars and roads improved, the summer trip by automobile soon became a desired element of American life. In The Vagabonds Jeff Guinn shares the story of this pivotal moment in American history. But he also examines the important relationship between the older Edison and the younger Ford, who once worked for the famous inventor. The road trips made the automobile ubiquitous and magnified Ford's reputation, even as Edison's diminished. The automobile had come of age and it would transform the American landscape, the American economy, and the American way of life. Guinn brings to life this seminal moment when a new industry created a watershed cultural shift and a famous businessman became a prominent political figure. The Vagabonds is a wonderful story of two American giants and the transformation of the country"--
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Provided by publisher
Cataloging source
DLC
Dewey number
917.304/9130922
Illustrations
  • illustrations
  • plates
Index
no index present
LC call number
TL140.F6
LC item number
G85 2019b
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
Series statement
Thorndike Press large print biography and memoir

Context

Context of The vagabonds : the story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison's ten-year road trip

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