Edsel Reviews

Disaster in Dearborn: The Story of the Edsel by Thomas Bonsall is easily the best piece of automobile journalism I have ever read. If you are interested in the Edsel, or just cars of this era in general, Bonsall will simply have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. Not only will you come away with a thorough understanding of the Edsel itself, the author artfully puts the whole Edsel saga into context with what was happening with the rest of the American auto industry during time before, during, and after the Edsel's brief lifespan. I honestly could not put this book down once I started it as Bonsall truly lets you feel the anticipation and excitement surrounding Edsel's conception, design, and launch. Quite simply everything about the Edsel and the people who created it is covered in this book. In closing Bonsall impartially takes you through all the theories on why the Edsel failed and brings the book to a very satisfying and thoughtful conclusion. And although primarily not a picture book, you'll find gathered here a small but exciting group of Edsel prototype photos and sketches I have never seen in print anywhere else before. A terrific book for anyone interested in auto history in general and an absolute must for anyone fascinated with the Edsel.

I've been fascinated by Edsels since childhood, and while I've never been able to own one, I've collected lots of literature about the most famous flop in automotive history. Although there was familiar material in Mr. Bonsall's work, (the arrival of a new full-sized car just as the first import craze was beginning was the product of a decade-long lead time to launch the new make), there was also much I've never seen in print anywhere before--such as Robert McNamara's statement that the decision to discontinue the Edsel had been made even before its formal introduction! From the company's internal politics, to the design process, to the challenges of setting up the dealer network, no aspect of the Edsel's history is omitted. This is an absolute must for Edsel lovers, and should be worthwhile to anyone interested in the Ford Motor Company or automotive history in general.

Bonsall's treatment of the Edsel story is unique in that he first sets the historical stage and market conditions under which the Edsel program was conceived and executed. He does an excellent job of describing the reasons Ford needed the Edsel program, and why the program missed its mark. As Bonsall methodically moves the Edsel story forward, the reader is filled with a sense of impending doom, much like reading about the maiden voyage of the Titanic. Bonsall does an excellent job of drawing together the many disparate influences and elements that together charted the fateful course of the Edsel.

Anyone interested in car design must read and keep this book. Should be a mandatory reading in design schools and design departments of every automaker. Either as a historical document or as an artistic reference, this book is a feast of information and images.
The author does not pretend to be an amateur car designer but instead humbly becomes a communication channel between the reader, Bob Gregorie and the memory of Edsel Ford, and a very good one indeed.
Kudos to Henry Dominguez for not having succumbed to the temptation of using modern color pictures and having gone to the process of selection those amazing images from The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village archives. Kudos to Henry Domiguez for such a fine book.

Edsel the Elephant who learned to share was about an elephant who wanted to help someone or give someone something special, little did he know he was going to meet someone who much needed his help. I thought the book would be appropriate for 5 to 8 years old. I think every child would enjoy it because it shows Edsel sharing something special with an animal.

What could be better than life in Black River Falls, Iowa on a September Saturday in 1957? The new car of the future, the Edsel, is being introduced to the town at the local Ford dealership and there's balloons, hog callers and marching bands, baton twirlers, cub scouts and tap-dancing twins. Unfortunately, there's also the dead body of Susan Squires in the trunk of one of the new Edsels. Sam McCain, a young lawyer who's earning most of his income with his private investigator's license, is asked to look into the murder. In no time, he's got way too many suspects, among them the victim's husband, David. But, soon David turns up dead too and McCain's highschool honey, Mary, goes missing and Sam sets out on a mission to solve the case and find his sweetheart, before it's too late..... Ed Gorman has written an entertaining mystery that will transport you back to those nostalgic days of the 1950s. His writing is crisp and smart and full of witty and irreverent dialogue; his plot, tense and full of surprises and his scenes, vivid and at times, laugh-out loud funny. But it's Mr Gorman's characters that are the real strength of this novel. From the brandy sipping, cigarette smoking, rubberband shooting judge to the fat, bully of a sherriff with a skin condition, who only got the job because his father runs the town, to McCain's best friend, Jeff who's backing out of his engagement because his fiance might not be a virgin, this is a cast of unrivaled, quirky denizens you won't soon forget. Wake Up Little Susie is the second book of a terrific new series, full of small town detail and 1950's wisdom, that shouldn't be missed.

Old Black is the most wholesome, absorbing, exciting, touching book I have ever read! And that's going back through a lot of books! Everything in the world that should be in it is there. Old Black the horse was as wonderful as his master, Jim Bradley.

I loved the old black couple, the Jacksons, who lived on the lane to the Bradley's little weekend ranch, and was truly touched by the genuine friendship between that couple and the Bradley family. All of the characters in the story, and there are quite a few, come vividly to life. You never have to think back and ask yourself, "Now just who is this walking on stage?" You know every one of them as if you had known them a long time.

The chapters involving the visit of Jim's Aunt Hazel and Uncle Harry are precious. Aunt Hazel has Alzheimer's disease and Uncle Harry is allowing her condition to get to him. It took the intuitive therapeutic interaction of a boy with compassion for his ailing aunt to show Uncle Har! ry, by examples, how to mitigate her suffering, how to lift her spirits. There was hilarity galore in those chapters, much of it at Aunt Hazel's expense, but it was never once in bad taste.

The rescue of Sheriff Martinez in the woods by Jim and Old Black, which consumed several chapters, was an endless stream of excitement that continued to escalate right up to the very last page of chapter 24. It was a tough job for both the boy and his horse that almost proved to be impossible, but every bit of it was entirely credible.

Old Black is a beautiful piece of creative writing. The story moved. It had a start, a middle, and definitely an ending, an ending that swept along through several chapters in such a rewarding way for the reader. Briggs never takes the writer's easy way out of a single scene or event, but works his plot with fascinating detail and excellent execution. The story was a fine blend of happiness, sadness, tragedy, and humor. Every aspect of the ending was perf! ect -- all the little loose ends that had collected along t! he way were neatly tied up in the most satisfying ways one could imagine -- even better than I ever imagined.

Without giving away the REAL treat at the very end, I will say I loved the way the jealousy toward Jim by the boy on the flashy horse was disposed of. That scene was a magnificent stroke! Then there is a very nice vignette involving that same boy at the very end that had best be left for the joy of reading it first hand. At that last horse show in the Astroarena, I swear I could hear the bawling, cackli! ng, mooing, crowing, grunting . . . of the animals, I was aware of the constant announcements over the loudspeakers, I smelled every aroma of the place, saw and heard the hay carts buzzing around, felt the presence of the activity going on all about -- I was THERE!

Old Black is a fairly long book --387 pages of text -- but I flew through it way too fast to suit me. We should be able to give an extra star to special books for appearances. This one is a beauty, with a nice oil painting for the cover, a pretty full-color map of "Old Black Territory" on the front and back endpapers, and at least five dozen gorgeous illutrations, which is why I presume the book was printed on such fine paper.

When you buy Old Black, you may as well buy two and get it over with. You'll just HAVE to let certain friends read it, and you'll sure not want to part with your own special copy.

(This review was provided by the reader, who does not have a computer, to the publisher for sending on to amazon.com.)

I'm a horsewoman, but I don't often find a good story with a horse as a main character. The authors don't often get their facts straight. This one did. Every detail that was explained was correct down to the smallest little thing.

Old Black, the book, was a bigger book than it seemed. I counted about 35 characters counting Sam the Rodesian ridgeback dog, and, of course, Old Black himself. Not one character escapes my mind's eye. I knew them every one. Even the reporter, Paul Hardesty, was memorable, and had only a cameo (but important) appearance. Oscar and Ruby, I fell for them hard. Salt of the earth. And how I cried when ... but read it yourself. I could see why the author took that route, it was a big step up the ladder to adulthood for Jim. It took me a long time to read the whole scene because I had a hard time seeing anything.

The author truly introduced every character. And that isn't so often the case.

There was some extravagant adventure in this story, but I never once had to suspend disbelief. Old Black the horse was not overplayed into a super horse, either. Nor was that wonderful little boy Jim. And wasn't Alexandra something? Uncle Harry was right, she's a little princess. And speaking of Uncle Harry and Aunt Hazel, everybody who knows someone who has a loved one with Alzheimer's should get a copy of this book. I know in my heart that Jim's therapy would be beneficial.

There are some real heartbreaking scenes and events in this book. And some funny ones too. I thought I'd die laughing over Mr. Mehlman's "theoretical last days." And the incident involving the snake in the bathroom. My husband came in to see what I was laughing about. I told him I had been bitten by the fabled laughing snake. (Of course, he didn't get it until HE read the book.)Wasn't Harry's reaction something a man with a good sense of humor would come out with? And I can understand Matt and Jim laughing themselves sick.

I finished Old Black, lay back on the pillow and relished it a while, then started right back on page 1.

I didn't have to wonder who the characters were as this story unfolded. They were introduced very well and they acted and talked true to their individual characters. Buck was a great guy. Little Jim had his hands full that day in the woods but didn't choke. I loved Ruby and Oscar. Uncle Harry would be a great guy to know.

I hope that guy at Richter's store gets some notice prior to his demise. I believe he really would use it to good advantage. As for Ralph, well, who ever heard of the inhabitants of a country having to live elsewhere? Alexandra? Who wouldn't like her?

This is a good story. There was much more to it than I expected. I didn't expect much humor, but almost split my sides laughing. There was sadmess enough, too.

The ending was perfect, more came together than I looked for, not a string left untied. I could read this again in a few months.

Edsel Colvin's letters and commentary will appeal to anyone who has fought in a war, particularly WW 2. Edsel was an unofficial war correspondent when his Dad submitted his letters from overseas to the local weekly paper. His letters brought some of the difficulties of soldiering to the home folks. Edsel was careful to not detail all of the gory details as he did not want his Dad to worry too much.

Edsel story begins with his life as a fire lookout following high school graduation in 1941, his brief time in college before being drafted, and then his experiences as a scout in an infantry squad of the 103rd (Cactus)Division. His style of writing is easy to read and makes the reader feel a part of the story.

Edsel returned to Gold Beach after the war, attended the University of Oregon, married and started a family and taught at Gold Beach High School where he had graduated in 1941. His abilities were soon apparent and he was named Principal of the Union High School and then Superintendent of the school district. His influence made the school district one of the best in the state and he was respected and admired by both faculty and students.

I've known Edsel for over 35 years and our three sons were privileged to attend Gold Beach High School while he was the superintendent.

I'm sure you will enjoy reading his book, "Got to Go Now"

Got to Go Now: An Oregon Gi Writes Home During World War II
by Edsel V. Colvin, Paul Colvin (Editor)takes you back to a time when people knew what it meant to be an American. It also revealed the emotions, motivations and situations created by war. I have had the honor of knowing many veterans and have noticed in listening to them that war is a very personal ordeal. Large nations having rather monumental disagreements are most often settled by individuals making sacrifices; time, limbs and sometimes lives.

The book paints a vivid picture with words. The heat of California can be felt as well as the cold of the German winter. I enjoyed the prelude to the war about the summers spent at the lookouts and the backroom at Frank's store. It gives you an insight into the soul of a man. Of the things that really matter and are important - family, the close friends you remember for a lifetime and taking a stand for the good.

The simple things matter most - living to see the next day, a hot meal and dry socks. Read the book.

By not telling the story with a standard narrative and just doing an occasional splicing comment or paragraph in the flow of letters, I had the feeling I was living through the descriptions in the time frame experienced.

Those weeks on fire watch in the mountains wondering about a future path, the busy-busy days at a small college trying to keep schoolwork, job, family and friends all juggled, the hardness of basic training followed by the double course load at Oklahoma, a picking up of pace as the time for overseas draws nearer, the time in the line and all the changes that happen from heavy combat to trying to survive the winter to being in the hospital to finding the little comforts one can to the sadness of the death of the Russian in the Wehrmacht, the winding down of the war, the wait to go home and the final obstacle in San Francisco with the loss of the personal effects.

It all seemed to play out in real time as I read those letters and since there were so many unexpected turns both good and tough, it had a ring of reality that the movies never seem to capture.

The book is as true a snapshot of real life's twists and turns as could be. The fact that the main character in the story came out a good man for all the events he had been through is a story of the innate goodness of a man holding true despite life's vicissitudes and in the telling it offers a ray of hope for all who read and see that despite the struggles they may have in life, that they too can keep the essential decency and soul in their own lives.

This prequel to The Day the Music Died isn't quite as good as the first book, but it's still very, very good. As usual, Gorman creates a fantastic, vivid cast of characters, each with their own particular quirks that place them just left of center, and sets them all down in a compelling murder mystery. The period detail seems to capture the 50s without being heavy-handed. Let's hope there are many more Sam McCain novels to come in the future.

This is a fun book, with a novel story line, great humor and a credible small-town mess of characters. The fun is in the reading, not in detecting. The author is not absolutely surefooted about his time period of 1957, but who cares? Good reading with a gin and tonic in hand.

I bought this book thinking that I'd learn something new, but was very disapointed. The author gives you some info about the topics he's interested in, but fails to give you info about other things. For example, he goes on and on about building your own cages ect., but tells you very little about guinea pig breeding in the chapter he titled "Practical Breeding". Like someone else mentioned, he did right "hamster" instead of guinea pig at one part, which realy bothered me! He also has a lot of unrelated pictures and sometimes put the same picture twice! There are very nice pictures but most of them were of the same breeds (or same guinea pigs), which isn't helpful for those who want to learn about the many different guinea pig breeds. I think this is a very incomplete book. I'm new to guinea pigs, but this book told me very little I hadn't or couldn't have found out about online. I recommend basic reaserch or buying a different book if you want to find out about all aspects of cavies [guinea pigs]. If you still want to buy this book, you can buy mine because I'm going to sell it.

For a book with an ASPCA seal of approval, I was very disappointed. The pictures showed guinea pigs on wire bottom cages (very back for their little feet), recommended cedar shavings (another no no) and on pg38 captioned a picture of a guinea pig "The more unique the color variety of your hamster..." It advised housing mutliple cavies in separate cages (this is a herd animal...please) Returned the book in 24 hours. Baron's is a better choice any day.

This book is great I found most of my information with it.It tells you every thing you need to know about raiseing a Guinea Pig.I recommend it to anyone who wants to own a Guinea Pig.

HENRY AND EDSEL offers insight into the characters of Henry and Edsel Ford and what it was that compelled them. The book presents a strong sense of time and the Fords' presence in and contribution to the events around them. The book is filled with interesting anecdotes. The best part for me were the several chapters called "rearview mirror" -- accounts written by eyewitnesses who recorded their version of important events: Edsel's death, the riots, etc. The author also introduced us to some of the hard workers and bright people Henry surrounded himself with in order to get to the top. One person CAN change the world -- but almost never alone.