I have read a lot of books about early aviation and especially Glenn Curtiss, and Mr. Carpenter's book is among the best. It has been very helpful to me to put the entire chronology of the Wright brothers and Curtis and the development of flight in perspective because of the way he organizes his information. This book is most helpful when read AFTER a Curtiss biography, such as Roseberry's book on Curtiss.

Pendulum is written for the serious student of early aviation history. Unlike most stories that focus on the Wright brothers' struggles before Dec. 17, 1903, this book delves into what happened AFTER Kitty Hawk.

In 1908 Glenn Curtiss won the Scientific American Magazine trophy for the first public flight in America. It was he, not the Wright brothers, who received instant fame and glory. He built and sold civilian airplanes while they focused on a single sale to the American, British or French Army.

The book explains how early chronicles touted Glenn Curtiss, not the Wrights, as the pioneer of aviation. Thousands of Curtiss JN-4 "Jennys" were used to train WW-I pilots. Today the pendulum has swung to the opposite extreme. Few people know of Curtiss, inventer of the flying boat and father of naval aviation, but everyone has seen the photo of Orville Wright's famous "First Flight" at Kitty Hawk.

In a sometimes dry account, Jack Carpenter meticulously compares step-by-step progress of the three men, with more rare photos than any other book. He tells how they were influenced by Alexander Graham Bell, inventer of the telephone, and Henry Ford, the father of mass produced automobiles.

Having studied the lives of all three men, I think Pendulum is the only book that gives an unbiased account of the bitter patent lawsuit that delayed the growth of American aviation for 10 years.

r need to read one firs

Funny, funny, funny. What surprised me most was finding out it was based on actual events (meaning that they did go on a camping trip). I enjoy everytime I listen to it.

I first read this book in the early 1970s as I was restoring my Model A Ford. I bought every book I could that described my favorite antique vehicle. This book was the best and is STILL the best book in my Model A library.

The three authors were, I believe, all Ford Employees that worked in the Ford archives, so they had access to a LOT of original Model A Ford information. The book starts with an introduction of the transition from Model T to Model A and describes historically what happened in the years between 1927 and 1932.

Loaded with Ford archives photographs, the book is a fascinating history and also a big assist to those restoring a Model A, since there are so many good photos of what the cars looked like when new. Many charts and figures add to the usefulness of the book.

One would think that 30 years after production, there would be lots of errors or omissions - not true here. These guys did their homework!

If you can only buy one book on the Model A Ford, get this one. You won't be disappointed.

In my opinion its the best book I've ever read about the ModelY.
It gives a complete view of the modelY history, with lots of photos and details.
Its a must!!!

For anyone who loves old time tractors and agrcultural machinery this book is a must.

THE CHOICE: DISCUSS OR PERISH

There has been books that started wars and there are books, the suppression of which led to world wars. This book was published in 1927 and suppressed, with good motives no doubt, in 1927. Not six years from its publication but six years from its removal from bookshops the world got a Hitler. Soon, it was not to be found anywhere except in two nations worlds apart, both of which found themselves involved in events that led to the worst war ever.

After the war, we got two blocks diametrically opposed in everything but not in attitude towards this book. It was collected and pulped in all four occupation zones in Europe.

Then, it remained unavailable on both sides of the iron curtain for the whole duration of the cold war. This of course made it an asset for fringe organizations of dubious quality and as if that were not dirty enough, infected and infiltrated, ranging from white-supra and clan to worse.

Whoever pretends disgust towards these extreme deformations owed to a minimum honesty ciriteria to bring into open discussion why books of a one like the Henry ord would not be published by legitimate and legal publishers throughout the cold war on both side of the iron curtain. Not one of enviable career has opened this discussion in fifty years.

Now, mankind must not be deprived of an alternative scenario - that had this book not been removed fro bookshops in 1927, a world scale discussion might be the worst to come in 1939-1945. And let us be divided on the issue of which might be better: a world discussion or a world war.

Grandpa Sergei Nilus in his unknown grave is atlast at peace and thankful to AmazonCom. In 1904 Grandpa saw that it was time to choose between discussion or world war and with that honest motive did the honest bishop publish the first document to start the discussion. He disappeared that year, Japan was financed agains Russia next year, his church, the once great Orthodox Church was crushed 13 years later, his most loved and hated fatherland was replaced by an opaque monster and the world had not one benefit from all these losses of Russia. Just the opposite. No country was left untouched by the following calamities. An extreme example: Australia and New Zealand lost five million adult population in that hurricane.

Now to why the Henry Ford published the document for discussion. Like during the American revolution when Jefferson wrote from Paris to America that the most important single event in Europe in the last few years has been publication of the Anacharsis book by the good Abbe, just so, after 1918 the most important single document appeared to be that recipee of horror.

Two million white Russian emigrants were saying so, the last resistance to the bolshewik plague, admiral Kolchak and General Vrangel were saying so, the German and Japanese intelligence sources who managed to escape from Russia were saying so. But the media in Western Europe and America was NOT saying so, was not mentioning the document, was not even saying it is not so.

That moment did the Henry Ford, and not alone, guess with whom! non other than Thomas Alva Edison, after weeks of deliberation around a camp fire, considering the issue from all sides foreseeable by best brains, decided that to open the document to discussion could not be worse than what was obviously coming if this issue was not discussed to exhaustion.

So, Henry Ford published it, with Thomas Edison on his side, the printer being powered through a shaft connected to a Ford tractor outside the building in Dearborn, Detroit.

No book shop would distribute it. 2000 Ford dealers had to do this. No nespaper would discuss it. And soon, whole weight of the law, as interpreted by some, the bigest ever compensation in the history of America or elsewhere,Henry Ford in his publication supposedly having insulted a Chicago Lawyer (not Irish), had to pay that lawyer the amount equivalet to the sale price of three thousand Ford Autos! That was about 1927 and that was when Henry Ford was given the choice: pay or stop your publication, destroy existing copies, call back the distribution.

It is not very honest to suppress this part of the story and to say, Ford family distanced itself from the book. That was abracadabra of pre-web tumoroid media - dead now but awaiting autopsy.

Sleep well Grandpa. The Web is with you.

In the same genre of Dr. Robert Schuller and Dr. Wayne Dyer books, Henry Ford's THE POWER OF ASSOCIATION shows us through his own story and the example of others that "no man (or woman) is an island." In order to achieve success we must constantly surround ourselves with positive people, and tap into the spiritual and intellectual resources second nature to those who manifest and attain their dreams.

THE POWER OF ASSOCIATION emphasizes mentoring, family unity, and the importance of volunteerism. Mr. Ford points out that people who volunteer are not in competition. They are aligned to give of their time and talents to achieve a common goal--along the route they naturally pickup new ideas and skills from motivated, like-minded individuals.

Mr. Ford also stresses the need to practice public speaking whenever, wherever possible because presentation affects success. He says no one wakes up with a Ph.D. in public speaking. Leaders from all walks of life have learned the power of speaking comfortably before a crowd, and it takes practice, practice, and more practice.

THE POWER OF ASSOCIATION is Mr. Ford's second book in what will hopefully become a series of "how to succeed" manuals.

No matter who you are or what your life's circumstances SUCCESS IS YOU.

Henry E. Ford is a living example. Through belief in himself and by taking action, today he's an accomplished author and motivational speaker. In his books, SUCCESS IS YOU, and its follow-up study, THE POWER OF ASSOCIATION; Mr. Ford has documented the journey of his achievements, and shares them with the world.

In SUCCESS IS YOU, Mr. Ford emphasizes the importance of being your own cheerleader. He says, ". . . give yourself a standing ovation." Only you know your talents and goals. Express them. Don't be afraid to let people know who you are, and where you're headed.

Throughout his journey, Mr. Ford has encountered skeptics and critics. He says, "Today I view them as having one more wrong opinion." When others tried to define him and limit his goals through Aptitude Test results, he discovered, "If I truly cannot do something, I'll find out. So I no longer need the services of an aptitude test maker. They're fired. I don't need him or her if I want a reason to succeed, I only need them if I'm looking for a reason to fail."

While Mr. Ford advises prudence and cautions against taking wild chances, he does promote risk taking. In SUCCESS IS YOU, he says, "Living itself is a risk, so as long as you plan on staying, you might as well take some calculated risk . . . it's only safe in the cemetery." Regarding taking action, he suggests, " . . . the difference in the winners and losers in life is the action they take or fail to take in their own behalf."

In the game of life he challenges the reader to play the best you can. Mr. Ford coaches, "Life will not feel sorry for you if you give up . . . no one can pitch hit for you . . . you are the entire team . . . you must throw life your best pitch."

Mr. Ford has the unique ability to instruct by using his own example. He has walked-the-walk, thus has earned the credentials to talk-the-talk. Like a scientist he has examined the process and shares his results in SUCCESS IS YOU. Through volunteerism Mr. Ford mentors others and counts motivational speaker/writer Les Brown, and Dr. Robert Lawson, author of DESTINED FOR GREATNESS, among his most valued mentors. Add Mr. Ford to your personal list of mentors today by buying and reading this sensational book.

You will discover that "Life is a journey, not a destination . . . success is a way of behaving, a way of living . . . YOU have a meeting scheduled with success."