I've been fascinated by Edsels since childhood, and while I've never been able to own one, I've collected lots of literature about the most famous flop in automotive history. Although there was familiar material in Mr. Bonsall's work, (the arrival of a new full-sized car just as the first import craze was beginning was the product of a decade-long lead time to launch the new make), there was also much I've never seen in print anywhere before--such as Robert McNamara's statement that the decision to discontinue the Edsel had been made even before its formal introduction! From the company's internal politics, to the design process, to the challenges of setting up the dealer network, no aspect of the Edsel's history is omitted. This is an absolute must for Edsel lovers, and should be worthwhile to anyone interested in the Ford Motor Company or automotive history in general.

Bonsall's treatment of the Edsel story is unique in that he first sets the historical stage and market conditions under which the Edsel program was conceived and executed. He does an excellent job of describing the reasons Ford needed the Edsel program, and why the program missed its mark. As Bonsall methodically moves the Edsel story forward, the reader is filled with a sense of impending doom, much like reading about the maiden voyage of the Titanic. Bonsall does an excellent job of drawing together the many disparate influences and elements that together charted the fateful course of the Edsel.

Anyone interested in car design must read and keep this book. Should be a mandatory reading in design schools and design departments of every automaker. Either as a historical document or as an artistic reference, this book is a feast of information and images.
The author does not pretend to be an amateur car designer but instead humbly becomes a communication channel between the reader, Bob Gregorie and the memory of Edsel Ford, and a very good one indeed.
Kudos to Henry Dominguez for not having succumbed to the temptation of using modern color pictures and having gone to the process of selection those amazing images from The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village archives. Kudos to Henry Domiguez for such a fine book.