Fins
Harley Earl, the Rise of General Motors, and the Glory Days of Detroit
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Narrated by:
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Peter Berkrot
About this listen
The New York Times best-selling 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 30 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.
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From author Earl Swift comes the surprising history of the U.S. interstate system, a fascinating route through the dreams, discoveries, and protests that shaped these mighty roads.
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Lessons from The Big Roads
- By Joshua Kim on 05-06-12
By: Earl Swift
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Bitter Brew
- The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America's Kings of Beer
- By: William Knoedelseder
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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The engrossing, often scandalous saga of one of the wealthiest, longest-lasting, and most colorful family dynasties in the history of American commerce—a cautionary tale about prosperity, profligacy, hubris, and the blessings and dark consequences of success. This engrossing, vivid narrative captures the Busch saga through five generations. At the same time, it weaves a broader story of American progress and decline over the past 150 years. It's a cautionary tale of prosperity, hubris, and loss.
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Couldn't stop listening...
- By Jeremy McGough on 11-09-12
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Strange Stones
- By: Peter Hessler
- Narrated by: George Backman
- Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Full of unforgettable figures and an unrelenting spirit of adventure, Strange Stones is a far-ranging, thought-provoking collection of Peter Hessler’s best reportage - a dazzling display of the powerful storytelling, shrewd cultural insight, and warm sense of humor that are the trademarks of his work. Over the last decade, as a staff writer for The New Yorker and the author of three books, Peter Hessler has lived in Asia and the United States, writing as both native and knowledgeable outsider in these two very different regions.
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funny, entertaining
- By Katherine on 08-02-13
By: Peter Hessler
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Freedom's Forge
- How American Business Built the Arsenal of Democracy That Won World War II
- By: Arthur Herman
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 16 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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New York Times best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Arthur Herman pens this fascinating look at how two businessmen turned the U.S. into a military powerhouse during World War II. In 1940, FDR asked General Motors CEO William Knudsen to oversee the production of guns, tanks, and planes needed for the war. Meanwhile, industrialist Henry J. Kaiser presided over the building of “Liberty ships” - vessels that came to symbolize America’s great wartime output.
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Enlightening. Amazing, Great Narration
- By G. Sanders on 08-26-12
By: Arthur Herman
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Go Like Hell
- Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans
- By: A. J. Baime
- Narrated by: Jones Allen
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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By the early 1960s, Ford Motor Company, built to bring automobile transportation to the masses, was falling behind. Baby boomers were taking to the roads in droves, looking for speed not safety, style not comfort, and Ford didn’t offer what these young drivers wanted. Meanwhile, Enzo Ferrari lorded over the European racing scene, crafting beautiful, fast sports cars that epitomized style.
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Goldern age of racing
- By Dan R. on 01-26-15
By: A. J. Baime
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Higher
- A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City
- By: Neal Bascomb
- Narrated by: Richard M. Davidson
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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This riveting, true account of the 1929 race to build New York City's tallest skyscraper evokes the glory of an exciting time long past.
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Outstanding Audio Book!!!
- By Tim on 11-16-05
By: Neal Bascomb
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Land Rover
- The Story of the Car That Conquered the World
- By: Ben Fogle
- Narrated by: Rupert Farley
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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As quintessentially British as a plate of fish and chips or a British bulldog, the boxy, utilitarian Land Rover Defender has become an iconic part of what it is to be British. It is said that for more than half the world's population, the first car they ever saw was a Land Rover Defender. It mirrors many of our national traits, stiff upper-lipped and slightly eccentric.
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Amazing! Great sub-stories
- By Daniel Caballero on 04-30-24
By: Ben Fogle
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Hershey
- Milton S. Hershey's Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams
- By: Michael D'Antonio
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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In this compelling biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael D'Antonio gives us the real-life rags-to-riches story of Milton S. Hershey, a largely uneducated businessman whose idealistic sense of purpose created an immense financial empire, a town, and a legacy that lasts to this day.
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The Benchmark for Chartiable, Rich Men
- By Boyd Tschaggeny on 01-30-19
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The Big Rich
- The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes
- By: Bryan Burrough
- Narrated by: James Jenner
- Length: 22 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Best-selling author Bryan Burrough reveals how four Texas oil tycoons transformed America. Rising from humble beginnings through hard work and shrewd dealings, they shifted the balance of power in American politics. While hobnobbing with movie stars and presidents, the Big Rich also created the legend of the swaggering Texas oilman with island hideaways and sprawling ranches.
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Big, Sordid, Fascinating, PoliticallyCorrect
- By Darkcoffee on 11-09-09
By: Bryan Burrough
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Crash Course
- The American Automobile Industry's Road from Glory to Disaster
- By: Paul Ingrassia
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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In Crash Course, Ingrassia answers the big questions: Was Detroit's self-destruction inevitable? What were the key turning points? Why did Japanese automakers manage American workers better than the American companies themselves? Ingrassia also describes dysfunctional corporate cultures (even as GM's market share plunged, the company continued business as usual) and Detroit's perverse system of "inverse layoffs" (which allowed union members to invoke seniority to avoid work).
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Contemporary History at Its Best
- By Roy on 04-19-10
By: Paul Ingrassia
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Disney's Land
- Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World
- By: Richard Snow
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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This is a spectacular story of error and innovation, a wild ride from a vision to the realization of an iconic cultural landscape. It reflects the park’s uniqueness, but just as strongly that of the man who built it with a watchmaker’s precision, an artist’s conviction, and the desperate, high-hearted recklessness of a riverboat gambler.
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Okay, but better books on the subject
- By J.D. on 12-07-19
By: Richard Snow
What listeners say about Fins
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jeffrey J. Kemp
- 02-26-19
The Glory Days of Car Design and How it Came About
Not just about Harley but many other gifted designers and their contribution to car styling
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- Carl
- 09-22-19
Definitely a must-read for any serious car guy anybody working in the industry.
As a serious car guy and automotive engineer I have read a huge portion of the books written about the industry, including many old ones, and can honestly say this is one of the best ever written. The author did some serious research and must be commended for it. The performance, narration, etc are also excellent. Highly recommended.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-16-19
Vivid and Entertaining
Author William Knoedelseder has a great eye for a good story, and this wonderfully entertaining, vivid, analytical, and at times cinematic book tells story after story about Harley Earl, his cars, and his era. Peter Berkrot does a fantastic job narrating this book in a compelling and witty way. Several times I laughed out loud while listening. Highly recommended for anyone who likes cars or even just good history.
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- 98 SVT Cobra
- 04-16-20
Excellent
Very good book, a little bit too much bashing on Henry Ford, and his company, but overall a very good book.
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- Evadiva
- 12-10-22
Very entertaining and historic knowledge about auto industry
I love the history going back to Los Angeles and Hollywood. The in-site to early automotive industry is well detailed, the men and companies history. I loved the story of the people, GM and fins.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Rogerm
- 06-23-21
The life of a legend
I am a car fan, but not of American cars. This book gave me a better insight and understanding of the design of the American cars that were around, growing up in the ‘50s and 60s’. It’s a book well researched and read. I just loved going on Google and looking up the cars mentioned so I could visualize the cars described. If you like cars, this is for you.
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- Kico M
- 04-20-20
Could be great
I really would like to give 5 stars to this very good book. The story is great and the author has good writing and make you go through the time with great fluidity. However, two things bored me (1) it’s a book about auto and design without a single photo. I had to keep Google open most of the time to picture the models and styles mentioned in the book. (2) and this was the most annoying part: the author has a political agenda that he pushes almost the entire book, insisting in judge the 30s, 40s behavior through the lens of 2020.
Anyhow, it is a very good book, that tells a great and important story of our age.
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3 people found this helpful
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- D. Melissa Iner
- 02-21-19
excellent listen. I highly recommend this book
Even of you are not an automotive fan this book is excellent. It follows the storied life of a automotive design pioneer with some great sidebars along the way
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- MCS
- 12-30-23
An enjoyable read about an interesting industry
I had listened to books on Henry Ford, Walter Chrysler, and Durant, but this gave an interesting overview of the car industry from the perspective of design. Good listen overall and very good performance.
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- joshua Shaw
- 07-02-22
Great report of amazing history but could do without the WOKE lean..
Phenomenal story, and great to hear about familiar places in Detroit I see and pass weekly. The back story and early life was excellent. However, much like most of the stories that come out of Hollywood (that’s mentioned in this book so much) these days, it’s way to heavy on the Lefty Liberal woke BS. and way too anti-Ford (and I don’t even like Ford cars) The authors injected to much of his own politics and beliefs into a damn good story that didn’t need it.
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11 people found this helpful