Chrysler burst onto the scene as the third of America's Big Three automobile makers during the 1920s, but Ace automotive historian Yanik contends that Walter P. Chrysler contributed nothing but a sensational new automobile and his own name to a complex of factories, machines, and skilled labor that had developed a capacity of engineer, build, and sell cars over the past generation. He begins with the background and founding of the Maxwell-Briscoe Motor Company in 1903, then traces its rapid rise in the marketplace, its failed merger attempts, its grafting onto the United State Motor Company, and the demise of that company in 1912. Then follows the history of the Maxwell Motor Company 1913-20 and Corporation 1921-25, and its purchase and reorganization as Chrysler Corporation. A final chapter looks at the relations between the principles in later years. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)