The Southern Pacific, 1901-1985 [Hardcover]

Don L. Hofsommer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1986

Don Hofsommer chronicles the twentieth-century history of a transportation giant. Here is a story of divestiture and merger, Sunset Route, and Prosperity Special. " . . . a treasure house of information about the Southern Pacific Company . . . . This book is a joy to read."--Richard C. Overton, from the Foreword

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In 1901 E. H. Harriman took over the Southern Pacific Company and led it to preeminence among American corpora tions; eight decades later a struggling SP merged with its long-time rival, San ta Fe, and ended its independent exis tence. Hofsommer has written a well- documented analysis of SP's triumph and decline; it is primarily a managerial history, focusing on the company's top leadership during the period. The rail road was the heart of the company's operations, and properly receives the most attention, but SP always had other interests, which are also scrutinized. The author had the cooperation of SP officials and access to company files, but this is not an "authorized" history; the treatment is evenhanded and schol arly. Recommended for all business history collections. Paul B. Cors, Univ. of Wyoming Lib., Laramie
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

  ". . . we can say that if you have any interest in the history of our industry you shouldn''t miss it. It''s well-written, interesting, and authoritative."  --Modern Railroads

(Modern Railroads )

   ". . . . a definitive corporate biography . . . a significant contribution to our understanding of the history of the West and Southwest. Written in a style that will appeal to both the general reader and the scholar, the book is populated with a rich cast of characters from magnate E. H. Harriman to engine crews and section gangs along the Sunset Route."  --Keith Bryant, author of Culture in the American Southwest

(Keith Bryant ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 373 pages
• Publisher: Texas A&M University Press; 1st edition (September 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0890962464
• ISBN-13: 978-0890962466
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,017,737 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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