Customer Reviews

The Ford Century: Ford Motor Company and the Innovations that Shaped the World

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
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This book is fascinating, even for people like me who aren't especially interested in cars. I picked it up at my grandpa's house and couldn't put it down. More than a "car book," Ford Century brings in a lot of the history that Ford grew up in - from hula hoops to hot rods - and reminds its readers how Ford was there for it all. This is a beautiful book, as well, with great images and nostalgiac pictures. I highly recommend it.

I bought this book as part of the materials of a history of innovation course, and it resulted a valuable piece. The history of Ford is well known in general terms but not in the details and the way their engineers broke thoundsands of paradigms and how they adapted to the market needs. The book of evidence of this effort. There is a nice introduction by Paul Newman. I recommend it for all lovers of engineering or product development.

complete history of Ford Motor Company incl. sub-brands
Every employee of Ford Motor got one in 2003.

Tying in with Ford's 100th celebration is this fine chronicle of this influential name and continuing legacy in so many areas of the past century.

The mobility and culture which has sprung up around the auto is staggering. Here it is captured from following one of the influential figures in all of that: Henry Ford and the legacy he left.

Well done with photos and enough text to provide running history of this giant in industry and society, this will become a collector's item to be given with pride, displayed on coffetables or in libraries.

To reflect back on all those vehicles--- Model T, Thunderbird, Mustang, Edsel, F-150, assembly line. We've all been touched by it. This is luscious nostalgia at its best.

"The Ford Century" is an exceptional insight into the history of the American automobile industry. The pictures and artwork are excellent. The narative is easy to read and sufficiently detailed to tell even the most avid care freak most eveything he/whe might want to know about how the Ford Motor Company got the place it holds in the industrial and cultural history of the USA. It's the perfect companian book to "Ford at Fifty", which to the best of my knowledge had only limited availability when it was published over fifty years ago by Simon & Shuster as the chronicle of Ford's first fifty years. Highly recommended.

With over 500 photos, Author Russ Banham and
foreward(er) [the late Hungarian-American
Actor] Pual Newman, take the reader into
four different sections about the life of an
American inventor-genius. They don't go into
Ford's somewhat kooky views (was he a Mason
or just into the Occult?!, but stick strictly
to his wanting to make a car for the American
family and our love affair with it! Why, oh
why can't we have Corporations like this today?

The book is worth it just for the photography. Content is sufficient though some of the reading is biased toward Ford (their hand is in the book) and the section covering important models shows cars that Ford had absolutely nothing to do with (Jaguar E Type, early Aston Martin, pre-Ford ownership Mazda three wheeler and Miata among others). These just don't belong there. In the end, a nice book to have but not a complete history of the car company or the man.

I ordered this book for my (dyed in the wool Ford man) Dad for his birthday after looking for a long time to find one i could afford...this book was just fascinating...you don't realize how many changes over the last century to the automotive industry...and how involved Ford was in all of it! My Dad and I both loved it...great pictures and history! Book arrived on time and in as described condition...

This book was bought as a retirement gift for someone who loves antique Ford cars. He was very pleased. We were pleased with the book except the back cover was faded. Otherwise the book was in excellent condition.