Books - Studebaker

Product Description:
Studebaker began business as a builder of covered wagons. By 1921 they were the number four automaker in the nation. By 1932 they were bankrupt. And for Studebaker, one of the most remarkable stories in American automotive history, that was only the beginning. Studebaker: America's Most Successful Independent Automaker tells the full and fabulously colorful history of this icon of the American automotive scene. Rife with triumph and tragedy, brilliant moves and boneheaded decisions, Studebaker's decades of building cars makes for a tempestuous saga featuring some of the more interesting characters in the twentieth-century business world.

But, above all, the story features cars that, for countless Americans, truly defined driving: not just the Champion, which rocketed the company back to the top in 1939, or the 1950s Raymond Lowey-designed Starliner, deemed a "work of art" by the Museum of Modern Art, but also the Hawks and Larks that so many drivers loved. As the book traces Studebaker's fortunes from success to crisis to merger and back, it also dwells with loving photographic attention on the vehicles, from the first electric car to the last Avanti.



Customer Review: AMC Guy Branches Out:
Patrick Foster is the world's leading expert on American Motors Corporation. His corporate biography, American Motors: The Last Independent is excellent. He also writes extensively on the independent auto manufacturers of the 1950's and 1960's in old car magazines.

This is a coffee table book in large format (11 by 9) with large illustrations, lots of white space, double spaced type, and not much text. It suffers when compared to The Last Independent and to Tom Bonsall's book, More Than They Promised: The Studebaker Story.

The author structures his narrative largely based on data and text from individual annual reports but never gives an overview of company financial trends or what was happening to Studebaker's market share or rank in the industry. He spends too much time explaining the intricacies of various parts of the bankruptcy code. For the five year period 1933 - 1937, which includes the 1936 models that brought Studebaker out of bankruptcy, he includes only two pictures, a 1933 station wagon and a 1937 pickup.

The discussion of Studebaker's actions in the early 1950's is excellent. The most glaring omission in the book is the almost total lack of discussion about any Studebaker pickup trucks. There are a few pictures but that's about it.

If you love looking at illustrations from Studebaker sales brochures and promotional photos from the 1950's, this is the book for you. If you want a comprehensive history of Studebaker, look elsewhere.


Customer Review: Something's missing:
It's a very nice publication, however the author spent more time on the postwar models than on the early marques from the '30s when Studebaker was in it's glory. Rather disappointed that photos from this era were few and far between.

Customer Review: Studebaker book:
A good description of the rise and fall of Studebaker,
presented with accompanying pictures. Sometimes the
pictures are out of sync with the text, but this is
not too distracting. The fabulous cars are seen in their
glory, with the story beginning with the horse-drawn wagons, and continuing with the trucks, airplane engines, and tracked vehicles
of World War-II. The story ends with the Avanti, of course, and the 1963 model looks good in today's terms. Good coverage of all the models,
including the trucks, the Hawks, the Larks, the Commanders and Presidents. Discusses the relationships with Packard and others.

Customer Review: Great Book:
Beautiful pics and well researched. Pretty as it is, it definitely isn't your average coffee table book - It makes a great read!

Customer Review: Disappointed!:
I've ordered from Amazon about a gazillion times, give or take a few, and have never been as disappointed. I discovered the book before Christmas, but it was not in stock. So I waited with a good bit of anticipation. I bought this book as a gift for my dad, a Studebaker fanatic... It was the only item I ordered at the time, and it arrived in a cardboard single pack. When I took the book out, it was considerably warped, and the dust jacket was indented and scratched. It looked like it had come from the bargain basement bin at a warehouse store. Not the impression I'm going for with a gift of a coffee table book. The content of the book itself is wonderful...it's just too bad that people will be judging THIS book by its cover!

Will be returning it for another.

Product Description:
This lavishly illustrated book on the famous automobile manufacturer traces the Studebaker family from its arrival in America in 1736, to the beginnings of the wagon business under John M. Studebaker and his brothers in the nineteenth century, to the family's entry into the automobile industry in 1902, to the last Studebaker automobile to roll off the assembly line in 1966.

The book, however, is much more than the story of a family business; it is also, in microcosm, the story of the industrial development of America. The Studebakers had always been industrialists in the sense that they made their living by manufacturing things, albeit on a small scale. When the Industrial Revolution hit the country with full force, spurred on by the Civil War, it transformed America from a rural-agrarian society into an urban-industrial one. The fortunes of the Studebaker family were transformed with it.

As the title suggests, the Studebaker story was mostly one of success. Studebaker wagons and carriages were long noted for their quality and popularity, and so, too, were Studebaker automobiles. The 1953 Starliner and the 1963 Avanti, designed under Raymond Loewy's direction, are widely regarded as among the most innovative examples of American industrial design.

The book deals in detail with the soaring prosperity of the company in the 1920s, the bankruptcy and miraculous recovery in the 1930s, the stupendous success of the early post-World War II period, and the eventual decline of the company's fortunes in the mid-1950s. It describes the development of such famous models as the Lark, Avanti, and Gran Tourisimo Hawk, with special attention paid to the Avanti II, a surprisingly successful spinoff from the dying company that continued to be produced until 1991. The final chapter, on why Studebaker died, is tightly reasoned and more convincing than previous theories. Throughout, the author has used personal incident and characterization to bring to life the rich, tumultuous history of one of America's longest enduring industrial empires.



Customer Review: A Must Read for History and Car enthusiast:
If you want to understand how the US car market got to where it is, this is a great book to start with. Its amazing how history tends to repeat itself, just with different players. Great read, I have passed my copy on to other family members who also enloyed the history lesson.

Customer Review: More than thay Promised:
Book on history of Studebaker Corp. Very good info on the life of the company and several reasons presented on why it failed.

Customer Review: More Than They Promised: The Studebaker Story:
An Excellent Biography, no details were missed in the writing.

Also, product shipping and delivery were very much up to par. I am completely satisfied.

Customer Review: Self-inflicted tragedy:
I was born in South Bend and my neighbors and relatives worked at Studebaker. This book is an excellent portrait of a company sliding inexorably downhill. Some of the factors that killed Studebaker were internal (labor relations, high unit costs, lack of due diligence about the company's condition in the Packard merger) and some were external (George Romney's refusal to form a fourth major out of American Motors). Discussed in detail are the beautiful cars Studebaker built and their skill in managing the difficult transition from wagonmakers to automakers. (Lincoln rode in a Studebaker carriage to Ford's theater) Bonsall doesn't hesitate to point out the flaws and missteps Studebaker made, though. This book is an affectionate portrait of an American company that was part of the landscape for a century and has now vanished without a trace. Recommended.

Customer Review: An interesting look....:
"More Than They Promised" was an excellent read. It detailed the entire history of Studebaker from its beginnings as wagon makers to its entry into the manufacture of automobiles.

Particularly interesting was the postwar era, especially after the disasterous merger with Packard. It SHOULD have worked, but in reality it was a total failure. The Sherwood Egbert era was very well detailed with his last-ditch efforts to save the automobile operations of what had by then become a conglomerate. At the time of their death, cars were but a small part of the empire.

I am fascinated by the Studebaker story, although I was only 8 years old when the last Studebaker was produced. I have often wondered what would have happened had they survived. Would they have survived the increasingly oppressive government safety and emission requirements? Would they have survived the fuel crises of '73 and '79?

I have had the pleasure of visiting the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, IN. Having seen these beautiful cars, particularly the "Loewy coupes" of 1953-55, I couldn't help but draw the conclusion that Studebaker was too far ahead of their customers.

Even if you are not a "car geek" as I am, you would likely enjoy reading "More Than They Promised".

Product Description:
A scarce title. Book give specific instructions on the removal, replacement, fitting and adjustments of all mechanical parts on all cars built from 1935 to 1948. Each car chapters begins with an index of service operations. Contents include american bantam, auburn, austin, buick, cadillac, chevrolet, chrysler, cord, crosley, desoto, dodge, ford, frazer, graham, hudson, hupmobile, kaiser, lafayette, lasalle, lincoln, mercury, nash, oldsmobile, packard, pierce arrow, plymouth, pontiac, reo, studebaker, willeys and terraplane. "Keep 'Em Rolling" with Motor's Manuals.

Product Description:
A comprehensive photo history of one of the great names of American motoring. This outstanding collection of rare factory photographs displays the quality & styling that distinguished Studebaker. Includes light to heavy trucks & semi-tractors.



Customer Review: International History in the Making:
WOW, not only was Studebaker a carriage, wagon, small car and truck manufacturer, of which this book chronicles the early history. Studebaker was also a great symbol of peace and hope for a world divided by idealology and war. Studebaker trucks were part of the American Lend-Lease program and as such were one of the few things that gave those of the old Soviet Empire a real positive effect about Americans and America. Having traveled myself in areas of the old Soviet Union, I have found many people who found good feelings of America in the presence of these old trucks. Many were used after the war on communal farms and in over the road transporation, often in Siberia and other far reaches. Many people, having been feed the steady diet of American terror and failure, realized that America was not a really bad place because they made this truck. This truck became the common element by which I made many friends and endeared many Russian and Ukrainian people to me and to the American way of life. This book begins to tell the story and its sequel book takes the reading public throughout the history of Studebaker, a must look at!

Customer Review: Excellent general history:
Anyone interested in the postwar history of the auto industry should have this book. One of three volumes by Langworth (the others are on Kaiser-Frazer and Hudson) which highlight the significant contributions made by the independent (i.e.non-big 3) manufacturers. Well focused and easy to read, with just enough detail to tell the Studebaker story well, it's an outstanding survey work. While some conclusions can be questioned (Langworth sees the Avanti project as largely a failure; his assessment of blame on the failure of Studebaker-Packard and American Motors to cooperate sucessfully is not shared by some other authors) overall his analysis is excellent. Some fine photos too.

Customer Review: Studebaker Cars:
The Crestline series is always a excellent reference guide and Studebaker Cars does not disappoint! Tons of great pictures and lots of interesting information make this a must for all Studebaker fans

Product Description:
While the Big Three automobile companies came to dominate the industry, its early U.S. history was characterized by an array of competing companies. "Studebaker's" story is the chronicle of the life and death of an American automobile company where management's concept of "tradition" played a fundamental role in modeling corporate culture, rhetoric, and strategy. "Studebaker" may have failed in the long run, but its corporate life spanned more than a century, during which the company made a commitment to the community of South Bend, accepted unions when other automobile manufacturers bitterly fought collective bargaining, and produced distinguished cars that still enjoy a loyal following. "Studebaker" explores managerial choice, corporate tradition, and the importance of ideas - not simply "market forces" - in shaping institutions in 20th-century America.



Customer Review: Not for Car Nuts:
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.

Customer Review: All but forgotten:
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.

Customer Review: Great Book:
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.