Crosley: Two Brothers and a Business Empire That Transformed the Nation

I don't read very many biographies but I made an exception with Crosley and I'm glad I did. I just finished it last night and it was one of the most enjoyable reads I've had in quite awhile. The book covers the lives of two brothers, Powel and Lewis Crosley, and their remarkable careers; Powel was the creative genius and Lewis was the hard-working, reliable partner who made everything happen. So what exactly did these two do? Not a whole lot, other than create radios "for the masses, not the classes", build one of the leading AM radio stations in the country, pioneer and build home refrigeration systems, manufacture explosive devices that helped win World War II, design and manufacture automobiles and own the Cincinnati Reds. (I left a few of the smaller items out, btw.) If you're from the Cincinnati area you're probably familiar with the Crosley name. The Reds used to play at Crosley Field before Riverfront Stadium opened in 1970 -- that was the extent of my Crosley knowledge prior to reading this great book. Now I feel like a bit of a Crosley expert, primarily because the authors did a fantastic job of assembling the facts and telling the story. There's also a companion website for the book where you can find more information about the authors and loads of Crosley family pictures, including several that aren't in the book. Even if you're like I was and aren't that familiar with the Crosley family, you owe it to yourself to grab a copy of this and read it cover to cover -- you won't be disappointed.

This is a very interesting book that tells the story of a true genius and the unsung brother that could make things happen. The Crosley brothers were a team that accomplished major radio first. Anyone interested in the hay day of radio will love this book. It is an easy read that will be hard to put down!

This book is excellent. I am a native of Cincinnati. This is the history behind the Crosley family and how the family first got involved with many facets of Cincinnati. The old baseball stadium for the Cincinnati Reds was known as Crosley Field. This town was the first to have a baseball team. Their father, Powel Crosley,Sr, started working with the Red Stockings in the late 1800. He then had two sons who followed in his footsteps trying to be involved in many projects related to Cincinnati. Some of the projects were: a law practice, a electronics business dating back to the Crosley Radio days, the baseball team, and the Crosley automobile. This is well written.

Bought this book as a Christmas gift for my Dad and he has all ready read the full book. He is a big history buff and loves the Reds - can't do better than that. When I asked him he told me he had finished it and really enjoyed it.

Fantastic! This book is one of the most captivating that I've read. I received "Crosley" for Christmas from my son. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. The 500 pages just flew by leaving me looking for more stories about the Crosley brothers. Being a native of Cincinnati, I was always aware of the Crosley name and WLW, the Reds, the cars, the radios, and the appliances that bore it. What I found so intriguing is the life story behind all of the great inventions and products. The egotistic, flamboyant style of Powel, the "average guy" style of Lewis and how their personalities complemented each other to create the driving force that was Crosley. The book gave a rich history of life in Cincinnati during the first half of the 20th century. It was excellent in bringing to life the family members, their friends, and their relationships. Finally, it described the latter years of tragedy and disappointments that characterized Powel's life. In contrast were the peaceful and fulfilling days of Lewis's golden years. After reading this book, I couldn't wait to drive around Cincinnati and locate Crosley Square, the production plants, the Pinecroft mansion and the location where the Crosley airport stood. It heightened my awareness of the great technology, products and aviation history that came from Crosley. The name Crosley certainly ranks along side that of Ford and Edison as industrial giants of the 20th century. This is a must read for anyone interested in Cincinnati or any of the great products that came from Crosley.