C. H. Wendel, who has made himself known for research and
writing on farm equipment, comes up with a hefty new landmark book,
‘150 Years of International Harvester.’
Wendel is already acclaimed for his ‘Encyclopedia of
American Farm Tractors,’ published by Crestline. This new one
is also a Crestline project-416 pages, about 2,000 photos, and
enough information to keep you reading for a month of Sundays.
The fruit of two years of intensive study, this volume helps
mark the 150th anniversary of Cyrus Hall McCormick’s invention
of the reaper. McCormick’s inventive and business genius built
the International Harvester enterprise into a world-girdling
company. Wendel puts his emphasis not so much on the company, as on
its products.
Here are some of the features that bring Wendel justifiable
pride:
Coverage of all equipment from automobiles and air-conditioners
through cotton pickers, mowers, tractors to windrowers;
116 pages of all International Harvester/McCormick Deering
tractors;
580 photos of wheeled, tracked and experimental tractors, most
hitherto unpublished;
50 pages of 250 photos of stationary engines, and
the only serial number reference list ever compiled on all I-H
tractor and stationary engine numbers.
For collectors of stationary engines, the book is a goldmine of
information even though Wendel emphasizes that it has been
impossible to obtain all the data he sought. But he goes into
detail-such as his note that the earliest International engines
seem to have been painted greenish-blue, to be replaced by red.
The tractor history is equally fascinating. By 1908, Wendel
says, ‘Canada was the leading tractor market, demanding bigger
machines to conquer the prairies.’ In this section as in the
others, photographs can give valuable assists to today’s
collectors.
The author was able to dig into company archives, and received
help from many others to whom he gives credit. This makes great
reading at home, providing plenty of ‘ammunition’ for those
conversations that always take place at rallies, organization
meetings, or wherever two or more gas wizards get together.
Wendel and Crestline have performed a real service.
To order a copy of ‘150 Years of International
Harvester’, send $24.95 to Stemgas Publishing Company, Box 328,
Lancaster, PA 17603.