Grand Eccentrics: Turning the Century : Dayton and the Inventing of America

by Mark Bernstein

Grand Eccentrics is a group biography of a half dozen inventors and eccentrics—Orville and Wilbur Wright, Charles Kettering, John H. Patterson, Arthur Morgan, and James Cox—who explored those new possibilities. They did much to create the American 20th century that is now yielding to the rise of the electronic technologies and global marketplace. 75 photographs.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Book Club

271 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1996

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Grand Eccentrics’ is a wonderful accounting of Dayton, Ohio at the turn of the 19th to 20th century. It is hard to believe how influential that location was to where we are today, and Mark Bernstein does a wonderful job of recounting the achievements of Orville and Wilbur Wright, Charles Kettering, James Cox, John H. Patterson and others. This is the type of book that should be taught in Dayton and local city schools in the hopes that it would encourage others so that Dayton could recapture its former glory.

[Aniko Grandjean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! I wish history was taught with material like this in school...it brings history to life and is so meaningful and interesting. Of course, having been born and raised in Dayton, I especially enjoyed reading this book! :)

[Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book enormously--just finished McCullough's The Wright Brothers & really appreciated having read this one before. My memory of the information & impressions I got from The Grand Eccentrics was that (strangely) I felt got a more complete sense of the Wright brother's achievements in their historical context in a just section of TGE, Vs the whole McCullough book.

Whatever, the author has a way of sharing anecdotes that are illustrative, often humorous and entertaining, but also giving great insight. He had a way of presenting this truly eccentric cast of characters with honesty, compassion, an understanding of context and a great storytelling ability.

John Patterson, the Wright brothers, Ketttering, etc. all come alive and give the reader a great slice of Americana, invention, history, the impact of personality on fame, fortune and the nation's history. Dayton & Ohio was an amazing place, this was an amazing time & Mr Bernstein does an amazing job bringing it to life.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the beginning of the 20th century in the small mid-Western city of Dayton, Ohio, a group of men used their talents and genius to help our world advance in the fields of technology and communication. They were Wilber and Orville Wright who worked tirelessly to create an airplane that would open the skies for mankind to move in. Charles Kettering, who worked with automobiles to make them easier to use for drivers and riders. When you push your starter button, say "Thanks" to him, for this and other things he created for cars. John Patterson bought a small floundering company making cash registers and used his genius for promotion and organization to bring about one of the most productive and successful companies when his NCR cash registers appeared in stores around the world. James Cox started with one newspaper in Dayton and created a news organization that spanned the State and became Governor of it as well, and finally, Arthur Morgan who tackled the problem of the rivers that met and came together north of Dayton and disastrously flooded the city in 1913 by creating a dam system to prevent it from happening again.

Mark Bernstein features each of these men individually as well as how collectively they affected the world as it was when they lived as well as the future including today. An interesting and well written, easy to read book, I recommend to anyone interested in history and any of these fields.

James Cox, newspapers

Charles Kettering, automotive genius, starter for cars

John H. Patterson, NCR

Wilbur and Orvil Wright, airplane

arthur morgan, dams and water management

[John Civardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for everyone. These men all from humble backgrounds transformed the world. Does character and virtue in business matter? Yes and these men showed us how and why these traits are necessary.

[Jake Fromholt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for Dayton and Ohio history buffs. Highlights the historical importance of our little city and how a few unique individuals were able to change the world for all.

[Tom Yohe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book that told much about the history of Dayton. I presented this at book club.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book - so much more than I anticipated! The chapters surrounding the flood were my favorite. I love Wright history but I appreciate how their story did not overshadow the others. This book was so well written!

[Collette Mcdonough · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a history on Dayton this is an okay book. If you are wanting a good book about the Wrights this is not the book for you. The Patterson part is good but the Charles F. Kettering section leaves a lot to be desired.