The Vagabonds

The Story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison's Ten-Year Road Trip

By: Jeff Guinn

Narrated by: Josh Hamilton

A “fascinating slice of rarely considered American history” (Booklist)—the story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison—whose annual summer sojourns introduced the road trip to our culture and made the automobile an essential part of modern life.

In 1914 Henry Ford and naturalist John Burroughs visited Thomas Edison in Florida and toured the Everglades. The following year Ford, Edison, and tire maker Harvey Firestone joined together on a summer camping trip and decided to call themselves the Vagabonds. They would continue their summer road trips until 1925, when they announced that their fame made it too difficult for them to carry on.

Although the Vagabonds traveled with an entourage of chefs, butlers, and others, this elite fraternity also had a serious purpose: to examine the conditions of America’s roadways and improve the practicality of automobile travel. Cars were unreliable and the roads were even worse. But newspaper coverage of these trips was extensive, and as cars and roads improved, the summer trip by automobile soon became a desired element of American life.

The Vagabonds is “a portrait of America’s burgeoning love affair with the automobile” (NPR) but it also sheds light on the important relationship between the older Edison and the younger Ford, who once worked for the famous inventor. The road trips made the automobile ubiquitous and magnified Ford’s reputation, even as Edison’s diminished. The automobile would transform the American landscape, the American economy, and the American way of life and Guinn brings this seminal moment in history to vivid life.

Critic reviews

"Narrator Josh Hamilton expertly captures what two prominent Americans, Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, may have sounded like. While this audiobook focuses on their friendship, it's also a history lesson and a look back at a time when automobiles were just beginning to change the country. The story of Ford and Edison's road trips together has its ups and downs. Ford was a taciturn Midwesterner who was driven to get moving and get things done; Edison, though younger, was a doddering inventor, who, in Hamilton's rendition, sounds like Hal Holbrook channeling Mark Twain."

Very interesting read with great performance!

If you enjoy automotive history and the brilliant innovative minds that shaped everything around close and broad to it, then you will enjoy this book. The first-hand perspective really captivates the listener in to what the characters are like, what they do, and who they are. A great read if you like what you see from the brief description.

Great history lesson

Sometimes too much detail, although necessary to understand situation and background . Otherwise, it helps us appreciate these individuals and their contributions to society and history.

Very interesting

Growing up in Dearborn, Michigan, I thought I knew a lot about Henry Ford. This book showed me how much more there was to learn about him and the delightful Thomas Edison. My book club read this book. And since we all still live in Michigan, we made a road trip to the Henry Ford museum to see the vagabonds display. I highly recommend this book.

Hits on every level

Excellent narration, and timely shift between the group and each individual history. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Wonderful story about Americanism.

Warts and all. Frames reality for what it is worth. These men and the support and guidance of the women in their life will never be duplicated, but serve as inspiration to achieve greatness.