The Public Image of Henry Ford: An American Folk Hero and His Company (Great Lakes Books Series)

Skillful journalism and meticulous scholarship are combined in the full-bodied portrait of that enigmatic folk hero, Henry Ford, and of the company he built from scratch. Writing with verve and objectivity, David Lewis focuses on the fame, popularity, and influence of America's most unconventional businessman and traces the history of public relations and advertising within Ford Motor Company and the automobile industry.

The Public Image of Henry Ford: An American Folk Hero and His Company

Biographies & Memoirs

David L. Lewis

Historical

Great Lakes Books

Orvie: The Dictator of Dearborn : The Rise and Reign of Orville L. Hubbard (Great Lakes Books)

The literature on political machines of American mayors is rich and varied. Essentially undiscovered, however, is "Orvie," the most flamboyant and original of them all-and, on his home turf, arguably the most powerful. David L. Good describes the public and private life of Orville L. Hubbard, a man whose remarkable political career overlapped the terms of seven presidents. Hubbard was mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, home of the Ford Motor Company, from 1942 to 1978, ranking him as the second-longest-tenured mayor in U.S. history. He became a model for successful suburban leaders, establishing a reputation for outstanding municipal services and low taxes-as well as for the most notorious racist rhetoric north of the Mason-Dixon line. During his reign, Hubbard was compared with nearly all the tyrants of the twentieth century and some before. 
At his peak of some 350 pounds, Orvie was a blimp-shaped dreadnaught who set up a government in exile in Canada because sheriff's deputies were waiting to arrest him back home; was pictured in the newspapers on his way to the Republican National Convention disguised in a clown mask; and ordered his fire chief to take an axe to the office door of Henry Ford II. Acquitted in a federal civil rights case, Hubbard showed his appreciation to the jury by taking them out to dinner. After the 1967 riots in Detroit, Orvie threatened to "shoot looters on sight." 
Hubbard took over a town-the town run by the American legend Henry Ford-without a traditional party organization, extensive patronage, or other trappings of a political machine. The "Hubbard machine" was essentially a one-man operation, consisting of Hubbard himself who prevailed on the sheer force of his personality.
David L. Good, who reported on Hubbard for eighteen years, bases his book on personal observation, public and private records, and interviews with Hubbard and family members. Although the book reads like the stuff of novels, Orvie: The Dictator of Dearborn is a serious study of one of the most controversial figures in American municipal government.

David L. Good

Kids Catalog of Michigan Adventures (Great Lakes Books)

Ellyce Field

These 52 narratives feature the tales of three 19th-century Ojibwa storytellers - Charles and Charlotte Kawbawgam and Jacques LePique. Collected by Homer H. Kidder, the stories present a fresh view of an early period of Ojibwa thought and the way of life in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Ojibwa Narratives of Charles and Charlotte Kawbawgam and Jacques Lepique, 1893-1895

Charles Kawbawgam

With over 200 photographs chosen from thousands in the collection of Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, Beyond the Model T gives attention to Henry Ford's numerous ventures outside of the auto industry. This revised edition, with 26 additional photographs and two new chapters, completes the portrait of Ford's life, givingdepth to a man previously known only for the Model T. Through vivid photographs and narration, Ford's boundless energy andvision are revealed.An enthusiastic and courageous entrepreneur, Henry Ford used profits from the Model T to launch projects in a multitude of areas, from education to rubber production. Ford R. Bryan presents an unknown Henry Ford, focusing on his experimental humanitarian and business enterprises- including those that failed. New to this edition are chronicles of factory and general hospitals, nursing schools and services,health clinics, and a research institute established by Henry Ford, and the more than a dozen commissaries Ford operated, selling a wide assortment of items to Ford employees and their families from pillow cases to children's shoes. These accounts give testimony to Ford's investment in the well-being of the working class, a category in which he included himself despite his wealth, and disclose his dreams for a country uponwhich he undeniably left his mark.

Beyond the Model T: The Other Ventures of Henry Ford (Great Lakes Books)

Ford R. Bryan

Professionals & Academics

Uppermost Canada examines the historical, cultural, and social history of the Canadian portion of the Detroit River community in the first half of the nineteenth century. The phrase "Uppermost Canada," denoting the western frontier of Upper Canada (modern Ontario), was applied to the Canadian shore of the Detroit River during the War of 1812 by a British officer, who attributed it to President James Madison. The Western District was one of the partly-judicial, partly-governmental municipal units combining contradictory arisocratic and democratic traditions into which the province was divided until 1850. With its substantial French-Canadian population and its veneer of British officialdom, in close proximity to a newly American outpost, the Western District was potentially the most unstable. Despite all however, Alan Douglas demonstrates that the Western District endured without apparent change longer than any of the others.

Uppermost Canada: The Western District and the Detroit Frontier, 1800-1850 (Great Lakes Books)

History

R. Alan Douglas

Americas

Albert Kahn: Builder of Detroit (Detroit Biography Series for Young Readers)

Albert Kahn was an architect at the dawn of the automobile age, when the Motor City came into its own. This biography tells young readers how he overcame numerous disadvantages to make that indelible mark. Raised in a poor family, Kahn's formal education ended when he was 12. He was colorblind and was fired from his first architectural job for "lack of talent." Yet through skill, determination, and self-confidence he turned hardship to advantage and realized his dream of becoming an architect.   Although Kahn attributed much of his success to the good fortune of being in the right place at the right time, he exemplified hard work and perseverance. Matuz's account conveys that example for young readers who can see the results of Kahn's determination in their own world.

Teen & Young Adult

Roger Matuz

Biographies

The Outdoor Museum: The Magic of Michigan's Marshall M. Fredricks (Great Lakes Books (Hardcover))

Marshall M. Frederick's sculptures can be seen in public places throughout the world, but it is in Michigan, where he lived for sixty years, that his legacy shines. Although his name is unknown to many people, a work such as The Spirit of Detroit is instantly recognized and loved by millions.This delightful book follows a young girl named Abby who is captivated by the sculptures she sees around Detroit -bronze pterodacytls, soaring humans, bears, clowns, and more. "How could anyone be in charge of decorating a whole city?" she wonders. With so many marvelous sculptures, it takes the determination of a curious child to discover them and learn how they were made.The Outdoor Museum is a guide to finding and appreciating hundreds of sculptures around the Great Lakes that were created by Marshall M. Fredericks - an invitation to the region's residents and visitors to discover the private world of public art.

The Outdoor Museum: The Magic of Michigan's Marshall M. Fredericks (Great Lakes Books)

Marcy Heller Fisher

Do poets' surroundings shape their viewpoint and work? Abandon Automobile seeks to address this question by bringing together the work of more than one hundred of Detroit's most acclaimed and accessible poets. Writing about location as if it were a living entity, these poets visualize Detroit as a variety of complex archetypes-the city becomes a savior, a beast, a nurturing mother, a seductress, a friend, an enemy. Like the city itself, the poetry represented is diverse and the poems are by turns tender, forceful, introspective, and vital. In the introduction to the volume, Melba Joyce Boyd and M. L. Liebler show how Detroit's poetry scene has changed over the years to embrace political movements and cultural transformations. Readers will find that one doesn't need to be a Detroit native to enjoy the many themes of this anthology. The exciting range of voices represented in this collection will appeal to anyone interested in poetry, regional literature, and urban life.

Abandon Automobile: Detroit City Poetry 2001 (African American Life)

Literature & Fiction

Poetry

The 1968 Detroit Tigers always will mean something very special to the city of Detroit. No one player is a better symbol of the relationship between the '68 team and the city than is Willie Horton. When eight-year-old Willie was walking the six miles from his home in Stonega, Virginia to neighboring Appalachia to play baseball, he never dreamed that one day he would star in a major league World Series. The likelihood of a successful career of any kind seemed even more remote after his family moved to Detroit, Michigan. Growing up in Detroit's "Projects," Willie had no way of knowing that one day he would give his name to a foundation dedicated to helping youngsters living in similar slum conditions.

Willie Horton: Detroits Own Willie the Wonder (Detroit Biography Series for Young Readers)

Grant J. Eldridge

Children's Books

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