The Vagabonds: The Story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison's Ten-Year Road Trip
, subject: Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Harvey Firestone's annual automobile road trips and the businesses/personalities behind them
Four famous travelers turn summer road trips into friendship, spectacle, and a shrewd demonstration of the industries they helped create.
About the book
Across annual road trips from 1914 through 1925, Ford, Edison, Firestone, and Burroughs turn friendship, camping, publicity, and industrial celebrity into a revealing portrait of early automobile culture.
Why read it
Best if you want a business history about industrial celebrity, publicity, friendship, focus, and the downside of a founder's rigidity
Key themes
- Publicity as product
- Ford and Edison
- Success and rigidity
Evidence and original sources
This record is supported by 9 public evidence rows linked to original Founders episodes.
- Henry Ford and Thomas Edison — David introduces The Vagabonds by Jeff Guinn as the book this episode is built around, covering Ford and Edison's decade of road trips.
- Thomas Edison — David identifies Vagabonds as covering Ford and Edison's relationship and ties it to episode 190.
Unofficial listener-built companion, not affiliated with or endorsed by David Senra or Founders Podcast.