Fins: Harley Earl, the Rise of General Motors, and the Glory Days of Detroit Paperback – September 3, 2019

I enjoyed the book immensely, and would highly recommend it to any car nut!I was initially disappointed when I received it, I had kind of been expecting more of a picture book. This is not a picture book at all (it does have a few pages of B&W photos in center), so if that's what you're after, keep looking.But if you're looking for a very well written biography and history of Harley Earl, General Motors, indeed the entire automotive industry from the twenties to the '60s, this is the book for you. Kept my attention - I was reading three or four chapters at a time

I love this book. As they say, it’s hard to put down. Full of interesting stories that give insights into how an utilitarian industrial product became something much more in America and the world really. Earl was a total character and is fun to read about. His influence was more than most realize. I love this book and how it is written. It’s the best book on auto design that I’ve ever read.

Lots of great insights into Harley Earl and GM, but also the auto industry in general. As a Michigan native who grew up in the shadow of Willie Run airport I really enjoyed the historical viewpoint. I remember seeing the GM card in the Windows at the Willie Run plant as a kid.

Captivating from page one. The author chronicles the improbable rise of Harley Earl from humble beginnings through the birth of the movie culture in Hollywood to the pinnacle of success in America's biggest company. There are hundreds of stories about the temperamental Earl and his marketing genius. This volume sorts them out in an engaging way.

When dealing with designers and cars, one would expect more pictures ... but, that some times requires licensing fees to who owns the pictures and such, adds expense. Still, us car guys, we want to see our kinetic art. That said, is a good read. Learn a bit about his early days, who influenced him, how some luck helped. If you are a history buff and not a car guy, you will enjoy the writing. If you are a car guy and not a history buff, still worth a read. Me, I am both. I have been lucky enough to have met many of my childhood and adult heros and, been able to sit one on one and visit with many and, become friends with some. Reading books, written, like this one, make me feel, that I wish I had been able to meet and talk with Harly Earl, one on one, not just about what made him famous but, about things friends talk about. Maybe, like my tea with more sugar, no mustard on my burger. Watch him work and yet, not be talking about work.

Harley Earl grew to be a legend within General Motors as the head of the styling department. He ruled his designers whimsically and ruthlessly -- even though he himself couldn't draw! But he had his finger on the pulse of the American car-buying public and he gave them what they wanted, including iconic fins on the Cadillac. Thus the title of the book.It is very well written and illustrated with black and white photos. It's a picture of a bygone era and the men and women who peopled it.

Wonderful details about the automotive giants of the early to mid twentieth century. How new innovations came about and the personal lives of the leading players in the automobile industry. A great read!

I really would like to give 5 stars to this very good book. The story is great and the author has good writing and make you go through the time with great fluidity. However, two things bored me (1) it’s a book about auto and design without a single photo. I had to keep Google open most of the time to picture the models and styles mentioned in the book. (2) and this was the most annoying part: the author has a political agenda that he pushes almost the entire book, insisting in judge the 30s, 40s behavior through the lens of 2020.Anyhow, it is a very good book, that tells a great and important story of our age.