Fins - by William Knoedelseder (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The New York Times bestselling author of Bitter Brew chronicles the birth and rise to greatness of the American auto industry through the remarkable life of Harley Earl, an eccentric six-foot-five, stuttering visionary who dropped out of college and went on to invent the profession of automobile styling, thereby revolutionized the way cars were made, marketed, and even imagined.

Harleys Earl's story qualifies as a bona fide American family saga. It began in the Michigan pine forest in the years after the Civil War, traveled across the Great Plains on the wooden wheels of a covered wagon, and eventually settled in a dirt road village named Hollywood, California, where young Harley took the skills he learned working in his father's carriage shop and applied them to designing sleek, racy-looking automobile bodies for the fast crowd in the burgeoning silent movie business.

As the 1920s roared with the sound of mass manufacturing, Harley returned to Michigan, where, at GM's invitation, he introduced art into the rigid mechanics of auto-making. Over the next thirty years, he functioned as a kind of combination Steve Jobs and Tom Ford of his time, redefining the form and function of the country's premier product. His impact was profound. When he retired as GM's VP of Styling in 1958, Detroit reigned as the manufacturing capitol of the world and General Motors ranked as the most successful company in the history of business.

Knoedelseder tells the story in ways both large and small, weaving the history of the company with the history of Detroit and the Earl family as Fins examines the effect of the automobile on America's economy, culture, and national psyche.

This sweeping narrative captures the birth of the American auto industry through the epic life of the man who gave it style.

• A Biography of an Innovator: Follow the epic journey of Harley Earl, the eccentric, stuttering visionary who dropped out of college, revolutionized car design, and became the 'combination Steve Jobs and Tom Ford of his time.'
• The Birth of Automobile Styling: Go inside the creation of a new profession as Earl introduces art to the assembly line, battling engineers to transform utilitarian machines into objects of desire.
• Hollywood Meets Detroit: Discover the surprising link between the silent film industry and the dawn of custom car culture, as movie stars became the first clients for radical new designs.
• The Golden Age of the Auto Industry: Witness the clash of titans like GM and Ford, the rise of Detroit as the world's manufacturing capitol, and the creation of an industry that defined the American century.

From the Back Cover

William Knoedelseder tells the story of Harley Earl as a classic American family saga, beginning in the Michigan pine forests in the decade after the Civil War, crossing the Great Plains on the wooden spoke wheels of a covered wagon, and settling at the turn of the century in a tiny dirt street village called Hollywood. Here a teenage Harley applied the skills he learned in his father's carriage shop to designing sleek, racy-looking automobile bodies for the fast crowd in the budding silent movie business.

Hired by General Motors in the middle of the Roaring Twenties, Harley introduced art and color into the rigid mechanics of mass auto manufacturing in Detroit, and for the next thirty years operated as a kind of combination Steve Jobs and Tom Ford of his time. His sense of how an American car should look and what it should embody paved the way for GM to become the most successful company on the planet, and earned him the distinction of being the first designer to be named a vice president of a major U.S. corporation.

Knoedelseder delves into the family dynamics, personal tragedies, corporate battles, and moments of genius that shaped the man, weaving a broader narrative about the effect of the automobile on America's economy, culture, and national psyche.

Review Quotes

"Fins pulls readers into the futuristic fantasies, intramural fights and forward thinking of the legendary GM executive who revolutionized America's love affair with the automobile." - David Cay Johnston

Fins is a fascinating story, well told. Can't beat that.

"A rollicking tale about the years when Detroit design dazzled the globe and defined an entire era." - Detroit News

"A terrific biography...Fins' should prove a valuable history to have on hand as we enter the age of the autonomous vehicle." - Wall Street Journal

"Fins is a lively study, as big and broad as one of GM's Buick Roadmasters but as sleek and speedy as one of its Chevrolet Corvettes. It's essential reading for anyone interested in America's auto obsession." - Los Angeles Times

Fins is far more than a biography of Harley Earl -- it's a fascinating, colorful romp through the glory years of the American automotive industry - The Newswheel