
Reviews (75)
One of the most interesting and informative historical narratives I have ever read!
My wife and I were born and have spent our entire lives in Cincinnati and its surrounding suburbs. This book truly opened our eyes to the significance that Cincinnati and the Crosley brothers played in the development of our city, county, state, national, and even in international, events. I’ve watched MANY movies and documentaries about the development of the automobile industry and the bigger-than-life personalities that it produced, yet we had no idea that some of the most colorful and important ones were born and lived right in our own area. The most fascinating and enjoyable parts of the book were those that described the Crosley’s direct influence on or involvement in an unbelievable number of inventions, ideas, modernizations, and such. These all bring back GREAT memories from our own childhood years. Additionally, it was neat to read about the hundreds of personalities that they interacted with through their years, many of whom were given a much-appreciated hand up in their careers and led to them likewise becoming famous and successful. This book also provided invaluable insight into the birth and growth of baseball, in general, and into both Major League Baseball and our own Cincinnati Reds. Other enjoyable parts of this narrative gave new understanding regarding many of the founding families of the Greater Cincinnati & N. Kentucky area, and the way in which many major local corporations—most of which are now globally known and respected—were influenced by or interacted with the Crosley brothers. Speaking as one who has been fascinated by the formation and growth of the radio and shortwave industry since I first built my own crystal radio set (and later participated in the Ham Radio Club in our high school), I thoroughly enjoyed learning the history of both its national scope as well as our own Cincinnati WLW and WSAI stations, and the formation and impact of the Voice Of America station and antenna field to the north of our city. This is the type of book that, having read it on my Kindle, I will gladly buy the hard copy of to add to my library.
Before there was a Steve Jobs, there was a Powel Crosley
Powel Crosley Jr. may not have invented radio, but---either directly or indirectly---he made it better and more accessible for virtually everyone. The story of his brainchildren, the Crosley Radio Corporation, and historic radio station WLW in Cincinnati, is legendary to anyone who knows anything about the history of radio broadcasting. The stars that Crosley launched from WLW reads like a "who's who" of musicians, singers announcers, and actors of the 20's 30's and 40's. Singer/actress Doris Day was one of his major finds, but the Crosley talent line-up also includes singing group, the Mills Brothers, comedian Red Skelton, actor Eddie Albert, and baseball announcer Red Barber---just to name a few. Biographer and Crosley grandnephew, Rusty McClure and co-author Michael Banks, have penned the definitive biography of Powel and his hard-working brother Lewis. Crosley wasn't just about radio, though. He had innovative ideas in many areas of manufacturing (auto parts and even national defense), and had the business acumen to get them to market. One of Crosley's main strengths was making his products affordable and of high quality (with one possible exception). It didn't matter whether it was radios or refrigerators, Crosley improved upon them and then made them accessible. And this biography is also an enjoyable romp through early 20th Century America. Loaded with information that brings the Crosley brothers and their time to life, it is a must-read for anyone interested in 20th Century American history, or the history of 20th Century innovation. Maybe I can sum up the importance of this book in just one sentence: The latter 20th and early 21st Century had a business genius named Steve Jobs, but before Steve Jobs, we had Powel (and Lewis) Crosley. There are similarities between modern computer innovator Steve Jobs and radio innovator Powel Crosley Jr. Don't take my word for it. Read this book and decide for yourself.
Industrial pioneers
I'm sitting in a home full of computers, MP3 players, dvd recorders and players, a satellite TV box, and scores of electric appliances that are smarter than I am. Reading of a time when consumer electronics were unknown, and the primary electric appliance was a lightbulb, is like looking into the dark ages. Well, not quite. But you know what I mean. The Crosley name is one that I've heard around my home throughout my life, but with the exception of a Crosley radio on a shelf, my knowledge of the company or the men that founded the firm was fuzzy at best. The authors have done an outstanding job at fleshing out Powel and Lewis Crosley and the world they lived in and revolutionized. Many a novel I've read non-stop, but this is the first biography that I've done an "all-nighter" with. The authors had no axe to grind, the times were well fleshed out, and one's faith in the ability of someone to think it up and do it, is reaffirmed. It was chock full of interesting information and facts, and I found myself checking Google satellite maps for locations mentioned in the book (Yes, the Arlington St. location still exisits and the satellite pic catches the executive tower, one-time home of WLW). There is some bumpy writing, as noted in a few other reviews. I blame not the authors, but the editor. The boys really like their cliches. Lawyers are always "Sharpening their pencils," people come and go "Exit Stage right/left, Enter stage right/left;" and so many variations of "Masses not the classes" permeated the text, I wondered if they had some sort of Bolshevik thing going on. That aside, this guy will be giving several copies of this book for Christmas this year - and I can't think of a better testimonial to the book.
A fascinating life of the Crosley's told
It is about the fascinating life the Crosley's. It is far more than just the story of their car. It is about their lives; the beginning, the good times as well as the bad time. It is about success, failure and success. It is about lives that were and is inspiring. I recommend it for everyone and not just those interested in the car or radio.
GRATEFUL!
Thank you Rusty McClure for your generosity! I enjoy "Crosley" and look forward to reading "Cincinnatus" and "Coral Castle. I enjoy reading them while I am listening to 89.3FM in Cincinnati with my Crosley radio. Phil
This is easily one of the best books I’ve ever read
This is easily one of the best books I’ve ever read. As I was reading it, I would often find myself abruptly speaking out loud that I want to work with people like the Crosley brothers. The writing makes the characters in the book and their stories come to life. The reader is transported through time in brilliant color as Powel and Lewis Crosley establish a way to work together that compliments their strengths, but also amplifies personality dynamics that dramatically sway the results of their business pursuits. It’s a fascinating window into human behavior. During a time in history that saw the dawn of several new technologies, we see the brilliant moments of human creativity that seem to reach out across the universe to harness what can only be described as magic from some other world and bringing it through the human mind into reality on this planet. The two brothers use their complementary strengths to learn to latch on to these supernatural inventions and create industrial mechanisms to bring them to the masses. And it shows the one thing we all battle: the vulnerabilities of the flawed human mind, and the limitations of success if a healthy balance in life is not maintained. This is a book I think about often as I move through life and my career. Those moments when I think I have figured something out, I remember to keep those emotions in check, recalling the lessons of the Crosley’s: the need to maintain balance. This is an essential book for any entrepreneur, business leader, or government leader. It supports my personal belief that I am here to do my very best, to be honest in my motivations, to be humble and gracious to all of those who help me get to where I want – and need – to be in this life, and to always find quality time for my family and friends. The new lesson I learned from this book – and it’s a very challenging one for me: to focus on one thing at a time and to do it well. I continue to struggle with this, but know I must overcome my relentless tendency to pursue a wide variety of interests. I often find myself thinking back to the book when I find myself drifting. That part of my personal story remains unwritten. My hope is that by learning from the lessons of the book, my story will be a long, successful, happy one to tell. I highly recommend this brilliant book. You will be inspired, and it will forever change your view of what it means to be truly successful in business, and in life.
I've read it twice so far, and will read it again.
The Crosley brothers got up to a lot of honest moneymaking by manufacturing a wide range of reasonably-priced products of (mostly) good quality. This book chronicles their start, their successes, and their failures in business over several decades. While the exact style of writing is less than ideal, the book is a good and easy read that is both entertaining and informative from beginning to end. The level of detail given is more than sufficient, but still (fortunately) not excessive. Recommended reading for anyone, but especially for those interested in the history of 20th-century business and/or manufacturing.
An interesting history
This is an interesting history of the Crosley brothers. I was not aware they were into so many products. I was aware of radio, and appliances, and only slightly the Crosley cars, but the rest was all new to me. It was interesting enough to keep me coming back to the book each night.
the Cincinnati area history or early 20th century industry then this is a good read. It is a personal tale of the ...
If you're in to Crosley products, the Cincinnati area history or early 20th century industry then this is a good read. It is a personal tale of the Crosley brothers, but also discusses early radio, the home appliance business, baseball and the auto industries. The editing job is not great, so there is some poor punctuation, and an extra word that I sure was supposed to be dropped, but that doesn't detract for the book overall. I also like that it does not read like a collage text book.
Crosley Brothers and Cincinnati
This book is excellent. I am a native of Cincinnati. This is the history behind the Crosley family and how the family first got involved with many facets of Cincinnati. The old baseball stadium for the Cincinnati Reds was known as Crosley Field. This town was the first to have a baseball team. Their father, Powel Crosley,Sr, started working with the Red Stockings in the late 1800. He then had two sons who followed in his footsteps trying to be involved in many projects related to Cincinnati. Some of the projects were: a law practice, a electronics business dating back to the Crosley Radio days, the baseball team, and the Crosley automobile. This is well written.
One of the most interesting and informative historical narratives I have ever read!
My wife and I were born and have spent our entire lives in Cincinnati and its surrounding suburbs. This book truly opened our eyes to the significance that Cincinnati and the Crosley brothers played in the development of our city, county, state, national, and even in international, events. I’ve watched MANY movies and documentaries about the development of the automobile industry and the bigger-than-life personalities that it produced, yet we had no idea that some of the most colorful and important ones were born and lived right in our own area. The most fascinating and enjoyable parts of the book were those that described the Crosley’s direct influence on or involvement in an unbelievable number of inventions, ideas, modernizations, and such. These all bring back GREAT memories from our own childhood years. Additionally, it was neat to read about the hundreds of personalities that they interacted with through their years, many of whom were given a much-appreciated hand up in their careers and led to them likewise becoming famous and successful. This book also provided invaluable insight into the birth and growth of baseball, in general, and into both Major League Baseball and our own Cincinnati Reds. Other enjoyable parts of this narrative gave new understanding regarding many of the founding families of the Greater Cincinnati & N. Kentucky area, and the way in which many major local corporations—most of which are now globally known and respected—were influenced by or interacted with the Crosley brothers. Speaking as one who has been fascinated by the formation and growth of the radio and shortwave industry since I first built my own crystal radio set (and later participated in the Ham Radio Club in our high school), I thoroughly enjoyed learning the history of both its national scope as well as our own Cincinnati WLW and WSAI stations, and the formation and impact of the Voice Of America station and antenna field to the north of our city. This is the type of book that, having read it on my Kindle, I will gladly buy the hard copy of to add to my library.
Before there was a Steve Jobs, there was a Powel Crosley
Powel Crosley Jr. may not have invented radio, but---either directly or indirectly---he made it better and more accessible for virtually everyone. The story of his brainchildren, the Crosley Radio Corporation, and historic radio station WLW in Cincinnati, is legendary to anyone who knows anything about the history of radio broadcasting. The stars that Crosley launched from WLW reads like a "who's who" of musicians, singers announcers, and actors of the 20's 30's and 40's. Singer/actress Doris Day was one of his major finds, but the Crosley talent line-up also includes singing group, the Mills Brothers, comedian Red Skelton, actor Eddie Albert, and baseball announcer Red Barber---just to name a few. Biographer and Crosley grandnephew, Rusty McClure and co-author Michael Banks, have penned the definitive biography of Powel and his hard-working brother Lewis. Crosley wasn't just about radio, though. He had innovative ideas in many areas of manufacturing (auto parts and even national defense), and had the business acumen to get them to market. One of Crosley's main strengths was making his products affordable and of high quality (with one possible exception). It didn't matter whether it was radios or refrigerators, Crosley improved upon them and then made them accessible. And this biography is also an enjoyable romp through early 20th Century America. Loaded with information that brings the Crosley brothers and their time to life, it is a must-read for anyone interested in 20th Century American history, or the history of 20th Century innovation. Maybe I can sum up the importance of this book in just one sentence: The latter 20th and early 21st Century had a business genius named Steve Jobs, but before Steve Jobs, we had Powel (and Lewis) Crosley. There are similarities between modern computer innovator Steve Jobs and radio innovator Powel Crosley Jr. Don't take my word for it. Read this book and decide for yourself.