Previous reviews have commented on coffee table books that are defined as a “large, expensive, lavishly illustrated book, especially one intended only for casual reading.” Lee Klancher’s history, celebrating the century of Farmall tractors, fits nearly all this definition with one exception. The book is large measuring 12x103/4x15/8 inches, weighing 7 pounds, and consisting of 384 pages. While expensive can be somewhat subjective, it lists for $84.95. It is lavishly illustrated with hundreds of photographs and illustrations from such sources as the Library of Congress, the Wisconsin Historical Society, the Hagley Museum and Library, the Museum of Victoria, private collectors, and full-color tractor photographs by Lee Klancher. The book departs from the coffee table book definition in that it won’t sit casually read on your coffee table—code for “unread.” The book’s captivating content will result in its being read frequently. Eight chapters and an epilogue provide a superb chronological survey: The Foundation, The Dawn of the Tractor, The First Farmall, Powering through Hard Times, Emerging from the Storm: The Letter Series, IH Goes to War, The Post-War Boom, Farmall Evolution, and Farmall Post-1958. Verdict: Buy the book—and a coffee table if needed. 

Book Review by Robert Gabrick