Customer Reviews

Cadillac: Standard Of The World (An Automobile quarterly library series book)

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As a dealer of Cadillac and LaSalle books, I use Cadillac: Standard of the World every day to find answers for my customers who need hard-to-find historical information about their Cadillacs.

I don't know what I'd do without this unique reference.

Justin Hartley

Excelent book and great story. I had no idea that the founder of Cadillac (Henry lelend) was an American industrial hero. Its worth reading just for the history abought Mr. Leland. Of course has good coverage of many cadillacs as well. I would love to see it updated through 2001.

Outstanding hard bound book expertly written with great pictures and illustration. A treasure for the collector and an outstanding purchase.

A must have book for every Cadillac aficionado. Maurice Hendry's book gives one insight into the design process of these wonderful cars. History is more than a time line, it's the interesting people that created it. This book has the anecdotal information about the personality of the back room people that invested themselves in the creation of this great marque. The large format gives easy to see photos and technical drawings.
A pleasure to view and read.

I have the Second Edition (1977) of the 447 page "Cadillac Standard of the World The Complete History" by New Zealand automotive historian Maurice D. Hendry (1929- ), and the Editors of "Automobile Quarterly" (an automobile magazine founded in 1962).

In this book we learn that it all started with Henry Martyn Leland (1843-1932), an Anglo-American mechanic/inventor/entrepreneur from a farming, Quaker background, who applied his Christian principles to an automobile business. He acquired his car's marque (which has come to typify anything grand) from a French noble/explorer, Le Sieur Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac (1658-1730), who founded the city of Detroit in 1701, where the first Cadillac cars were manufactured in 1902. (The city of Cadillac, Michigan is not related to Cadillac Motor Car Division.)

There are a myriad books on Cadillac out there, but this work by Hendry, et al, is unique in that, besides the passionate scholarship, numerous, exquisite black and white/colour pictures of the cars, there are also copious chassis diagrams, and photos of family, executives, producers and motorists, involved in the Cadillac story. We also learn how, early on, its engineers brought their innovations to fruition, or, perfected what was already there through, for example, the interchangeability/standardization of parts and electric starting; each achievement garnering Cadillac the British Dewar Trophy--Nobel Prize equivalent for automobiles. (Hendry, himself, has an award named in his honour, as well.) And these are just a couple of things that maintained Cadillac as "The Standard of the World." The volume's 84 page/8 part appendix is rich with info, on things like helpful organizations to join, reproductions of ornament/crest/badge regalia, lists of men behind Cadillac--from boardroom to drawing board, specifications and production figures/details, and a glossary of model names.

A Cadillac introductory brochure, "THIS IS Cadillac" (1969) said: "WE AT CADILLAC, BELIEVE...our equipment, materials, blueprints and facilities could be given to another manufacturer to produce a car--but it wouldn't be a Cadillac." The work under review here exemplifies this amply. In fact, the author(s) concluded this tome with this thought: "The Cadillac is certainly a very substantial part of the American heritage. The chances are better than ever that it will stay that way." Therefore, it all boils down to people--with a vision--like Monsieur Cadillac and Messrs. Leland and Hendry.

Do look into "Cadillac Standard of the World The Complete History" by Maurice D. Hendry with the Editors of "Automobile Quarterly" soon, to get to the top of a luxury car saga, where Motor City climbers drive all directions for the coolest mountain.