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My Forty Years with Ford

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( 66 ratings, 9 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
My Forty Years with Ford by Samuel T. Williamson and Charles E. Sorensen is a fascinating memoir recounting Sorensen's long-standing career with the Ford Motor Company. The book offers an in-depth look at the evolution of the automotive industry through Sorensen's experiences, highlighting his significant role in shaping Ford's innovative approaches. It provides unique insights into Sorensen's working relationship with Henry Ford and the challenges and triumphs of his forty-year tenure.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$12500

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this engaging memoir if you're interested in the inside story of the automotive industry, particularly the rise of the Ford Motor Company. The book provides a fascinating insider's perspective from a key figure within the company, offering insights into the industry’s evolution and the innovative genius of Henry Ford.

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Reissued in paperback, this book provides an account of the Ford story from the birth of the Model T, the early conflicts with the Dodge brothers, the revolutionary announcement of the five-dollar day, and development of the moving assembly line, a concept that changed our world. It is a history of a business empire and the power of tragedy.

An unflinching eyewitness account of the Ford story as told by one of Henry Ford's closest associates.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
In My Forty Years with Ford, Charles Sorensen, sometimes known as "Henry Ford's man," sometimes as "Cast-iron Charlie," tells his own story, and it is as challenging as it is historic. He emerges as a man who was not only one of the great production geniuses of the world but also a man who called the plays as he saw them. He was the only man who was able to stay with Ford for almost the full history of his empire, yet he never hesitated to go against Ford when he felt the interests of the company demanded it.

When labour difficulties mounted and Edsel's fatal illness was upon him, Sorensen sided with Edsel against Henry Ford and Harry Bennett. He insisted that Henry Ford II be brought in to direct the company despite the ageing founder's determination that no one but he hold the presidential reins. First published in 1956, My Forty Years with Ford, has now been reissued in paperback for the first time.

The Ford story has often been discussed in print but has rarely been articulated by someone who was there. Here Sorensen provides an eyewitness account of the birth of the Model T, the early conflicts with the Dodge brothers, the revolutionary announcement of the five-dollar day, and Sorensen's development of the moving assembly line, a concept that changed our world.

Although Sorensen conceived, designed, and built the giant Willow Run plant in nineteen months and then proceeded to turn out eight thousand giant bombers, his life's major work was to make possible the vision of Henry Ford and to postpone the personal misfortune with which it ended. My Forty Years with Ford is both a personal history of a business empire and a revelation that moves with excitement and the power of tragedy.

Series: Great Lakes Books Series

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  • The Dodge Brothers
    At the start of the Ford Motor Company in 1903, the Dodge Brothers supplied nearly every car part needed by the up-and-coming auto giant. After fifteen years of operating a successful automotive supplier company, much to Ford's advantage, John and Horace Dodge again changed the face of the automotive market in 1914 by introducing their own car. The Dodge Brothers...
    Hardback
    $10300
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    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • The Dodge Brothers
    At the start of the Ford Motor Company in 1903, the Dodge Brothers supplied nearly every car part needed by the up-and-coming auto giant. After fifteen years of operating a successful automotive supplier company, John and Horace Dodge again changed the face of the automotive market in 1914 by introducing their own car. The Dodge Brothers automobile carried on their...
    Paperback
    $7600
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • My Forty Years with Ford
    In My Forty Years with Ford, Charles Sorensen, sometimes known as "Henry Ford's man," sometimes as "Cast-iron Charlie," tells his own story, and it is as challenging as it is historic. He emerges as a man who was not only one of the great production geniuses of the world but also a man who called the plays as he saw...
    Paperback
    $12500
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780814332795

Publisher: Wayne State University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 09 January 2006

Country: United States

Imprint: Wayne State University Press

Illustration: 45 illustrations

Contributors:

  • Introduction by David L. Lewis

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 19.0mm

Width: 170.0mm

Height: 230.0mm

Weight: 465g

Pages: 384

About the Author

Charles E. Sorensen (1881-1968) was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and arrived in the United States in 1883. He attended school until the age of thirteen when he was apprenticed to a patternmaker in a Buffalo, New York, stove works. At seventeen, Sorensen moved to Detroit. He met Henry Ford in 1901 and began working as a patternmaker for Ford in 1905. Sorensen retired from Ford Motor Company in 1944.

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