This book is based off of the Fair Lane Papers along with other letters and bills from the Fair Lane estate. The Fair Lane Papers are the personal Ford family papers that were left at the Ford estate (called Fair Lane) after Clara Ford died in 1950 (Henry died in 1947). They contain letters, diaries, photos, notebooks, legal documents, checks—all the sorts of paper people accumulate over a lifetime. They formed the foundation on which Olson built his book.
His book draws heavily from accounts on the Ford family farm; and Henry Ford’s life up until the start of Ford Motor Company. It focuses on the people who were most important to Henry Ford.
Olson, who worked as a public relations guy for Ford Motor Company, knew Ford’s history and looked at every single scrap of paper to assemble a collective history that can be read episodically. It is very fun to read, with a great introduction to an excellent story of the early years of Henry Ford’s life.