Fins - Paperback

2026-04-22T20:05:37-06:00

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by William Knoedelseder (Author)

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.

Front Jacket

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.
--Detroit News
Back Jacket

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.

Number of Pages: 336

Dimensions: 0.9 x 7.9 x 5.2 IN

Publication Date: September 03, 2019