"McCormick's use of history provides an informative case study that illuminates the power of historical memory and explores how historians and their work intersected with the rise of modern capitalism. . . . This book will be of interest to anyone who studies agricultural, business, or public history."—Amanda L. Van Lanen, Western Historical Quarterly
“A fascinating account of one company’s dedication to making its success seem not only natural but emblematic of shared American values. . . . Ott’s analysis of McCormick/International Harvester’s history is a moral tale well told.”—Deborah Fitzgerald, Leverett Howell and William King Cutten Professor of the History of Technology at MIT
“Well researched, well written, and engaging. . . . A significant contribution to the study of historical memory.”—David Blanke, author of Sowing the American Dream: How Consumer Culture Took Root in the Rural Midwest
“A fascinating story of farm technology, advertising, regional history, and mythmaking.”—J. L. Anderson, author of Industrializing the Corn Belt: Agriculture, Technology, and Environment, 1945–1972
“Daniel Ott has pieced together the many lives of the McCormick reaper, illuminating stages that moved the machine out of the fields and into American consciousness.”—Debra Reid, curator of agriculture and environment for The Henry Ford
