Customer Reviews

Studebaker: The Life and Death of an American Corporation (Midwestern History & Culture)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Explores the nature of the company rather than just the products. The insights are revealing and the style is engaging. The lessons from this study can be applied to the success and failures of the other American automotive manufacturers. It is valuable for both the automotive enthusiast as well as the student of management and business.

My dad was a Studebaker dealer and I grew up reading everything I could about the company. Following them through the early to mid fifties was agony. This is a very detailed description of their rise, near demise, and eventual failure. Excellent history and nostalgia. Actually a bit sad but I could not put it down.

Before purchasing this book, I knew it dealt more with the business end of Studebaker Corp., but being a Studebaker aficionado, I wanted the book anyway in case there was some new info on its life and death. Well, there was not and the cars were ignored to the point that the book may as well have been about widgets. With fewer than two hundred pages and a paucity of pictures, none in color and not one of the famous 1953 coupe, the book at its high price does not seem a good value. It must have been written for some scholarly reason; there are lots of footnotes, but not placed on the bottom of the pages. I was not impressed with the author's appearance on Cspan's "Booktv," which is how I discovered the book. I should have stuck to my first impression.