NEW BOOK! FORD IN NEW ZEALAND - PUTTING THE CAR BEFORE THE HORSE - Out Now!!!

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2017: NEW BOOK! FORD IN NEW ZEALAND - PUTTING THE CAR BEFORE THE HORSE - Out Now!!!
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Stokes on Tuesday, November 14, 2017 - 07:28 pm:

FIRSTLY - A THANK YOU

The Model T Ford Club forum has been extraordinarily helpful in the production of this book, which has been 12 years in the making.

A copy of this book is to be donated to the new Bruce McCalley Research Centre at the Model T Museum so I can at least put a little back into the wonderful Model T community that has helped me so much. I am especially thankful to Hap Tucker, whose pragmatic and wise advice has been enormously valuable. But many others have helped too and I am eternally grateful to you all.

Also thanks go to Chris Dyer of the MTFC-NZ who has slogged his way through both manuscripts, making some brutal comments along the way!

THE BOOK

It is not a technical book - it is more of a social history. It covers the arrival and rapid development of motoring in New Zealand, how the relationship with Canada came about, the steps taken by 'mother England' to infiltrate the New Zealand market and, of course, why the Ford was so popular in this country.

The book takes a global view of motoring in New Zealand, which means that the influences of elsewhere are covered, as well as what else was going on it the Ford world at the time. The reader will see that the two stories are inseparable.

During this era, New Zealand was the second biggest export market for Ford of Canada (behind Australia) and Canada became the second biggest motor manufacturing country in the world, behind the US, of course. Also during this era, New Zealand became the third and then fourth most motorised nation in the world, behind the US, Canada and Australia.

The book includes some discoveries. For example, Ford's attempt to stop right-hand drive production!

The book is a comprehensive look at the story of Ford in New Zealand up to 1934-35. That is a very natural place to break this story as it was the Depression era, when everything in New Zealand came to a complete stop.

And, what's in a name? Putting the car before the horse is exactly what the Model T Ford did here in New Zealand!

IF YOU'D LIKE A COPY...

Below are some screen shots of some pages from the final proof from the publisher, New Holland Publishing. It is a hardback, 230 pages, full colour. The price in NZ$ is $49.95.

The cost to send overseas is quite high, and its airmail only these days. Each book will come in it's own cardboard sleeve wrapper for protection.

To Australia, P+P for 1 book is NZ$20, or 2 books for $30.

To the US, Canada and the UK it is (are you sitting down?) NZ$42 per book.

All the New Zealand Model T Club members are already aware of the book, with many having ordered it in advance. As a result of that I have already received orders from the US, Canada and Australia too.

If folks overseas would like a copy, please PM me or email me at tourist.times@xtra.co.nz.

Again, thank you to everyone who has helped make this book what it is.

John Stokes

book


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Stokes on Tuesday, November 14, 2017 - 07:38 pm:

Explaining the photos above...

From top left - what may be the first photo ever taken of a Ford in New Zealand!

The importance of the Ford for the Farmer - including early evidence of a locally-made body.

Making the car at Ford of Canada.

A study of a NZ body builder.

War and peace conditions in NZ - and Smiths Form-a-Truck. (There's some great WW1 photos included.)

The Fordson tractor. The full page pic shows what is thought to be the sole remaining Fordson from the very first shipment in 1918 - at work!

What was the proportion of Fords in NZ? The book provides an answer. This photo is of a rural service town - every car in the picture is a Model T Ford.

NZ was the first country in which Ford of Canada set up a remote assembly of the Canadian-made car.

Model T railcar - the only one in the world?

Model changes - Model A....

...followed by the sensational V-8.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Adrian Whiteman, New Zealand on Wednesday, November 15, 2017 - 02:16 am:

Don't forget to sign my copy John ;-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rob Heyen - Eastern Nebraska on Wednesday, November 15, 2017 - 06:46 am:

Thanks John. You've put an incredible amount of research, work and passion into this project, and I look forward to receiving and reading my copy.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Stokes on Wednesday, November 15, 2017 - 05:15 pm:

Will do young Adrian!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Stokes on Wednesday, November 15, 2017 - 05:17 pm:

Rob - I sent you a message a couple of days ago - did it get to you? I've had a few bounce back and I don't know why.
John


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Stokes on Wednesday, November 15, 2017 - 05:19 pm:

Oooops - I meant to say Rob - a subject dear to your heart is that the book has a photo of the Model K that came here (number 211).

John


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hap Tucker in Sumter SC on Wednesday, November 15, 2017 - 07:52 pm:

John,

Congratulations on your new book! And thank you for the kind words. I did a quick search and found one of the early threads back in Aug 2006 where you were gathering information (ref: http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/29/18016.html ) And it clearly shows that many folks on the forum contribute information, photos, and questions that helped the project along. It will be great to see how you have taken the many different threads of information and woven the story of the cars we love into the backdrop of history.

And for anyone familiar with shipping books / items from New Zealand – if any of you know a more cost-effective way to ship books to the states, we would love to hear from you. Yes, I know -- if we fill a 40-foot container completely full with the books, the per book shipment cost goes down. But I don’t think we will need quite that many books for the market? But does anyone know of someone who routinely ships stuff to the USA and might give John a lead on another innovative way to ship them?

Again John, it is great to see your hard work coming to completion. I am looking forward to reading your work soon.

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Stokes on Thursday, November 16, 2017 - 04:05 pm:

Thanks Hap.

Yes, if anyone has suggestions on how we can freight it any cheaper, I would love to hear. I did check around before though.

I guess not surprisingly, to ship to the US most freight companies want the shipper to have an account with them. No-one seems to know why but I suspect it is a security measure. It is not a requirement for elsewhere.

Yesterday I had an order from the UK for three books - just to give you an idea, the cheapest is NZ$96 (approx £50 or US$66) - the most expensive was NZ$285 (approx £149 or US$198). I am in the wrong business.

John


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Kossor - Kenilworth, NJ on Thursday, November 16, 2017 - 04:35 pm:

Come on Guys, you know what my suggestion is....

You can ship your new book anywhere in the world for the low cost of just $0.00 quicker than next day delivery. How? E-Book of course! :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Adrian Whiteman, New Zealand on Friday, November 17, 2017 - 05:19 am:

Send it to China and re-rout it through Aliexpress for "free delivery" offer ;-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Stokes on Saturday, November 18, 2017 - 02:34 pm:

Silly people!


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