Fins: Harley Earl, the Rise of General Motors, and the Glory Days of Detroit – The Visionary Who Revolutionized American Automobile Styling from 1920s Hollywood

Outstanding publication !!! Having the privilege of being a member of General Motors’ design staff ,I had the great fortune to work alongside several of the staff from Bill Mitchell era to Chuck Jordan’s Vice Presidency at the Design Center in Warren Michigan . The account that the author presents is very viable , truthful and extremely well done . I highly recommend this publication to all that wish to discover the privilege of working alongside a powerful creative staff for an American Corporate Icon . Excellent from start to finish !!

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

This is a great history of the American auto industry as well as a fine narrative about the styling department at GM. I have read a different version of the GM stylists reaction to the 1957 Chrysler forward look but otherwise this rings true. The styling of the 1941 Cadillac by Bill Mitchell should have been included as is was his first solo design.

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.

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.

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!

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.

The book is a good read. The author has made a few mistakes but its entertaining enough. HOWEVER, pages 161 and 162 are torn out. Not there. Gone. I feel bad about reading all but 2 pages of a book. Dang!

Very interesting book. A good purchase

The reviews I read before purchasing the book, were accurate. A most informative book and well worth the purchase price!

From my point of view there is not so much info or images about cars with fins but more about the story of the person who made it. This is not my expectation. I would expect more images of prototypes and production cars.

This book is really the story of General Motors... and the author tells a great story. But the Kindle version that I read has no pictures of the cars that Harley Earl designed, so you'll need to keep a smartphone or internet-enabled tablet handy so that you can look up the models referred to. Earl's greatest invention was lowering the passenger compartment so that it sat between the two axles, instead of top of it. This made cars appear closer to the ground and sleeker to look at... but whether his over-the-top 1940s and 1950s styling has stood the test of time is another matter.

Well-written, a fascinating account of a bygone era in many respects. Harley Earl was responsible for the marketing model for the American auto industry in the 20th century, a story all car guys are likely to enjoy reading about, even if they don't especially like the model.