“This is the first serious biography of the exuberant man who transformed the Sears, Roebuck company into the country’s most important retailer. He was also one of the early 20th century’s notable philanthropists. . . . The richness of primary evidence continually delights.” –Judith Sealander, author of Private Wealth and Public Life “[No] mere philanthropist [but a] subtle, stinging critic of our racial democracy.” –W. E. B. DuBois on Julius Rosenw… More >>
On page 74, this book states, …[Sears] now sold prefabricated houses…Each piece of the house was clearly marked…The Sears houses…remained in the catalog until the late 1930s…”
I can’t speak to the rest of this book’s accuracy as it relates to the rest of Rosenwald’s fascinating life, but I am able to authoritatively say that this wee snippet about Sears Homes is NOT accurate.
Sears did NOT sell prefabricated homes in the early 1900s. These houses were pre-cut, not prefabricated and lest one think I’m splitting hairs, these two terms have radically different meanings. Words *are* important.
Next, each piece of the home was *not* clearly marked. More than 1/3 of Sears Homes had NO markings on the lumber. THis idea (that each piece had a mark) is another common misconception that is oft-repeated but has no basis in fact. And, the only pieces of Sears Homes that were “marked” were the framing members – and only after 1920 (or later).
Last, these homes did not “remain in the catalog” until the 1930s. Sears had a page or two in their catalogs promoting their specialty catalogs, “Sears Modern Homes catalogs”. Those “Sears Modern Homes catalogs” were issued semiannually until their last catalog was issued in 1940.
The story of Sears is an important one and it’s even more important that the facts in that story be historically accuate.
Rose Thornton
author, The Houses That Sears Built
Rating: 4 / 5
This book is an in depth and intriguing study of the businessman and philanthropist, Julius Rosenwald (JR), and the early twentieth century. I congratulate Dr. Ascoli for thoroughly researching and telling JR’s story. Unfortunately, until this book was published few living Americans knew of JR and his impact on American society. The reader will be amazed to learn that so many business practices that we take for granted today e.g.profit sharing were ideas of JR’s and begun at Sears. In philanthropy, too, he was innovative and cleverly spread his wealth to broad elements of society while he was alive—not perpetuating it through a foundation after his death.
The book should be required reading for MBA students, students of American history and law and those in the philanthropic and non profit studies field and everyone else will find it fascinating too.
Rating: 5 / 5
This is a fascinating book about a man who was a well-known business man and philanthropist in his day and is all but unheard of today. In his well-researched and interestingly written account of Julius Rosenwald, Peter Ascoli vividly portrays a man who was ambitious, idealistic, groundbreaking in many ways, and humble. While JR, as the author calls him, is known mainly for his excellent management and leadership at Sears, it was his philanthropy that made JR stand out. In these days of the super rich, business scandals such as Enron, and Warren Buffet’s recent gift to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this story of an upstanding business man with morals, and a humble philanthropist this is biography is extremely relevent, and it is a story that needed to be told.
Rating: 5 / 5
An absorbing account of Julius Rosenwald’s rise in the mail-order world of merchandise and the changing world of class, politics and culture. Here was a man who made millions at the turn of the 20th Century and proceeded to give it to society in areas where he felt it lacked. A must read for all of those involved with and interested in the world of philanthropy, the African-American experience and history.
Rating: 5 / 5
Julius Rosenwald: The Man Who Built Sears, Roebuck And Advanced The Cause Of Black Education In The American South by Peter M. Ascoli (an academician and the grandson of Julius Rosenwald) is the definitive biography of Rosenwald, a pioneer not only in transforming Sears, Roebuck into the greatest mail-order firm in the world, but also in philanthropy. He helped build more than 5,300 schools in the American South, among other efforts to improve the lives of his fellow citizens such as the Rosenwald Fund. Exhaustively researched and packed cover to cover with minute detail, Julius Rosenwald is highly recommended reading given its author’s considerable accomplishments in business and humanitarian spheres alike.
Rating: 5 / 5