Overview

In 1913, an unlikely friendship blossomed between Henry Ford and famed naturalist John Burroughs. Their mutual interest in Ralph Waldo Emerson led them to set out in one of Ford's Model Ts to explore the Transcendentalist's New England, in the first of several road trips that would take Ford and Burroughs, together with an enthusiastic Thomas Edison, across America: to the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, the Adirondacks of New York, the Green Mountains of Vermont, and on a 1918 expedition through southern Appalachia. Their travels influenced the way Ford, Edison, and Burroughs viewed the world, nudging their work in new directions through the onset of war in Europe and the outbreak of the 1918 influenza pandemic. InAmerican Journey, Wes Davis re-creates these landmark adventures, through which one of the great naturalists of the nineteenth century helped the men who invented the modern age reconnect with the natural world-and reimagine the world they were creating.

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9781324000327

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Auto magnate, inventor, and naturalist--'self-reliant' pioneers and pastoral ramblers--are united in common cause: dedication to the frontier American ethos. Wes Davis' homespun comrades forge ahead into their beloved wildernesses, and we fortunate readers tag along for a bittersweet, nostalgic ride.--Neil Baldwin, author of Edison: Inventing the Century The itinerary of American Journey steers us through a crucial portal in American history--from pastoral yesteryear to mechanized modernity. Where, oh where, would we have wound up without men like Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, and their arcadian muse, John Burroughs, whose rosy nostalgia fueled their drive toward a future lit and streamlined by their undoubting know-how? Mind you, the route that Wes Davis maps so painstakingly is bumpy with foreboding (looking at you, Elon Musk), but the steady stream of roadside attractions and this merry band of inventor-adventurers charm at every turn.--John Taliaferro, author of Grinnell: America's Environmental Pioneer and His Restless Drive to Save the West

"A rare account of brilliant minds as they set off in search of America.-- ""Kirkus Reviews"" Davis conveys the excitement and danger of early automobile travel and crafts memorable set pieces.... This historical road trip is well worth taking.-- ""Publishers Weekly"" Auto magnate, inventor, and naturalist--'self-reliant' pioneers and pastoral ramblers--are united in common cause: dedication to the frontier American ethos. Wes Davis' homespun comrades forge ahead into their beloved wildernesses, and we fortunate readers tag along for a bittersweet, nostalgic ride.--Neil Baldwin, author of Edison: Inventing the Century Who knew the iconic American road trip began with the industrial trailblazers Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Harvey Firestone? Joining up with John Burroughs, the famous nineteenth-century naturalist, this unlikely foursome hit the road in 1918. They discovered a pastoral America unaware of the coming transformations, largely brought about by three of the travelers. I can't help but wonder what they would think of the very different country they helped create. American Journey is a meticulously researched and wistful gem of a book.--Finn Murphy, author of The Long Haul: A Trucker's Tales of Life on the Road A charming, sunlit excursion along one of history's more unusual byways--the safari-like road-trip adventures of two men who were changing the world, Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, and an emissary from its past, the aged essayist and naturalist John Burroughs. American Journey is a lovely rabbit-hole of a book about a country that was becoming something new, and about the bonds of friendship, which are timeless.--William Souder, author of Mad at the World: A Life of John Steinbeck The itinerary of American Journey steers us through a crucial portal in American history--from pastoral yesteryear to mechanized modernity. Where, oh where, would we have wound up without men like Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, and their arcadian muse, John Burroughs, whose rosy nostalgia fueled their drive toward a future lit and streamlined by their undoubting know-how? Mind you, the route that Wes Davis maps so painstakingly is bumpy with foreboding (looking at you, Elon Musk), but the steady stream of roadside attractions and this merry band of inventor-adventurers charm at every turn.--John Taliaferro, author of Grinnell: America's Environmental Pioneer and His Restless Drive to Save the West"

Auto magnate, inventor, and naturalist--'self-reliant' pioneers and pastoral ramblers--are united in common cause: dedication to the frontier American ethos. Wes Davis' homespun comrades forge ahead into their beloved wildernesses, and we fortunate readers tag along for a bittersweet, nostalgic ride.--Neil Baldwin, author of Edison: Inventing the Century Who knew the iconic American road trip began with the industrial trailblazers Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Harvey Firestone? Joining up with John Burroughs, the famous nineteenth century naturalist, this unlikely foursome hit the road in 1918. They discovered a pastoral America unaware of the coming transformations, largely brought about by three of the travelers. I can't help but wonder what they would think of the very different country they helped create. American Journey is a meticulously researched and wistful gem of a book.--Finn Murphy, author of The Long Haul: A Trucker's Tales of Life on the Road The itinerary of American Journey steers us through a crucial portal in American history--from pastoral yesteryear to mechanized modernity. Where, oh where, would we have wound up without men like Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, and their arcadian muse, John Burroughs, whose rosy nostalgia fueled their drive toward a future lit and streamlined by their undoubting know-how? Mind you, the route that Wes Davis maps so painstakingly is bumpy with foreboding (looking at you, Elon Musk), but the steady stream of roadside attractions and this merry band of inventor-adventurers charm at every turn.--John Taliaferro, author of Grinnell: America's Environmental Pioneer and His Restless Drive to Save the West

Auto magnate, inventor, and naturalist--'self-reliant' pioneers and pastoral ramblers--are united in common cause: dedication to the frontier American ethos. Wes Davis' homespun comrades forge ahead into their beloved wildernesses, and we fortunate readers tag along for a bittersweet, nostalgic ride.--Neil Baldwin, author of Edison: Inventing the Century

Author Information

Wes Davis is the author of American Journey and The Ariadne Objective, and his writing has appeared in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. He grew up in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains and now lives outside New York City.

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