John Willys: Napoleon of Automobile Finance (Titans of Fortune) (English Edition) [Kindle-editie] beoordelingen het boek quotes

The New York Times called John North Willys the “Napoleon of automobile finance,” and likened him to Sinclair Lewis’ fictional character Samuel Dodsworth, an innovative automobile magnate full of ambition, conviction, character and purpose. B.C. Forbes regarded Willys as the financial come-back wonder of the 1920s, moving from “deficits aggregating almost $20,000,000 in 1920 and 1921 to profits approaching $20,000,000 in 1925.” John Willys is the all-American story of a successful man who played a pivotal role in the evolution of the automobile industry. In addition to his namesake, the Willys--Overland Company, manufacturer of the ubiquitous Jeep during World War II--after Willys' death--he was involved in several automobile companies that bridged the horseless carriage age with modern automobiles, including American Motors, Overland Company, Marion Car Company, Edwards Motor Car Company, Gramm Motor Truck Company, Pope Motors and Duesenberg. The real question, however, is whether Sinclair Lewis patterned Dodsworth on the life of John Willys, or was the uncanny similarity between the two men just a coincidence of the times. [3,034-word Titans of Fortune biographical profile]