[AT] New Book - Tractor Wars

[deanvp at att.net]

Chuck,

 

Thanks for reminding us of this new book. I too have pre-ordered that book with an expected arrival of January 14th or 15th.  Neil is a very well respected, educated and experienced historian with considerable experience at JD managing their historical sites such as the Pavilion, Grand Detour and the John Deere Museum which is about as well done as one could expect from any manufacturer.  The Museum is a must see stop in Waterloo and is first class all the way. Neil is a true historian not a publisher of pretty pictures with some lightly researched text.  I’m really looking forward to this book.   I have tired of the pretty picture books, nice but not very educational or informative.   I expect a whole lot more depth from Neil.  

 

For those who are not avid followers of John Deere there is a relatively short summary of John Deere’s history on the web that is a good quick read and gives a good overview:

 

https://blog.machinefinder.com/29921/john-deere-history

 

My favorite John Deere history book of all time is:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Deeres-Company-History-Deere-Times/dp/0385196644

 

This is a true history book and can be boring in its attention to detail but it really gives the “behind the scenes” activity and factual history that made John Deere.  Published in 1984 so it is well before the current Deere we know today.   To be honest I don’t much care about the John Deere Company that exists today. It is such a large company that IMHO has lost contact with the real farm culture and only focuses on the huge corporate farmer.   But, if this is what it takes to thrive as a public corporation, so be it.  I’m not a stock holder but probably should be.

 

Dean VP

Apache Junction, AZ

 

From: AT <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com> On Behalf Of Chuck Bealke
Sent: Saturday, January 1, 2022 2:07 AM
To: Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Subject: [AT] New Book - Tractor Wars

 

Y’all,

 

Don’t know how I’ll find time to read it, but have preordered a new book to be published (hopefully in about two weeks) that sounds pretty interesting. It’s called 

Tractor Wars: John Deere, Henry Ford, International Harvester and the Birth of Modern Agriculture by Neil Dahlstrom.

 

He co-authored another one in 2005 called The John Deere Story: A Biography of Plowmakers John and Charles Deere and was thinking of getting that one as well. Has anyone read and liked it? Would like to find it at a library, but that’s not likely locally. Am not a Kindle reader as am partial to paper books.

 

Chuck Bealke

Plano, TX

 

 

 

 

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