Book Review: Furious George Provides Fascinating Deep Dive
Read the book review of Furious George by Deb Bently in the Waseca County Pioneer.
Book Review in the Waseca County Pioneer, by Deb Bently (News Editor)
This summary and review shares opinions and personal observations regarding Scot Dahms’ book Furious George, published this year. The book can be ordered online at Dahms’ website, Adirondackdick.com.
As a 1977 graduate of Waseca High School, I come from a time frame which allows me to remember the Herter’s store once located near the south end of town. Of course I knew its proprietor was George Herter, and that Herter had hunted and taken big game all over the world–the taxidermied specimens in the store were clear evidence. But as a teenager, I didn’t pay much more attention than that to the famous, even iconic man whose knowledge of the outdoors drew worldwide attention to my hometown.
After reading Furious George: The Minnesota Man Who Built the World Famous Herter’s Inc. I no longer feel so ignorant.
In his introduction, author Scot Dahms shares “My goal was to provide insight into the man and his influence on the outdoor world.” While observing that Herter exhibited erratic, complicated behavior, Dahms also points out he broke new ground in the fields of catalog sales and outdoor products, and was the first to use a marketing style still proving effective for companies like Cabella’s and Bass Pro.
In a book well over 400 pages long, Dahms presents authentic, verifiable sources including word-for-word testimony found in court transcripts, articles found in newspapers and magazines, and some accounts from people who knew and worked with Herter.
The organization of the book is mostly chronological, providing some background information and then quickly moving to the downtown Waseca retail businesses owned by George’s father Edward. The reader learns of a 15-pound pickerel teen-aged George landed while fishing in Clear Lake with his father, and of drawings and comments shared with national magazines during his high school years.
We find out he had aspirations as an artist and writer already in college while on the staff of a University of Minnesota student publication. We also learn he fought in World War II, and reportedly used his experience as a hunter and marksman to help improve various elements of U.S. equipment used in the war. He was wounded twice, needing surgery to remove four bullets.
Summaries and documentation go on to share information about both his family and entrepreneurial lives–but much more about business than family.
We are also given a portrait of an eccentric individual who was reportedly so accepting that he never fired an employee, even when there was good evidence of dishonesty or theft, but also so reclusive and private he first hired a firm to find a buyer for his multi-million dollar business interests late in the 1960s, then attempted to avoid the prospective buyers by claiming he was not home to speak with them, or by saying he would take care of paperwork and then failing to follow through.
I believe the book to be well worth its $36 purchase price and highly recommend finding access to a copy. For one thing, George Herter is an inseparable part of Waseca area history, and is still venerated and appreciated today by many people who worked for him, read his books, or bought his products. For another, we see a portrait of a highly complex human being whose experiences and choices show us a time in history which influenced our own time, both for better and for worse. Finally, some of the behaviors we see inspire us to think about the human condition and the different choices people make, including how they are influenced by their experiences and expectations.
Furious George is not a book to be read quickly, but like a complex meal, to be consumed and digested one course at a time. I would guess many readers will gloss over some sections that don’t happen to align with their interests, but always be drawn back by details and developments appearing within the next few pages. Some sections summarize such interesting information or insights, the reader is inclined to give them a second reading immediately.
Author Dahms has found an impressive array of illustrations and examples to accompany the text. Artwork ranges from drawings done by George to catalog entries to the covers of some of his books, including the rather off-putting title How to Live With a Bitch, reportedly written as advice to his oldest son about navigating some of the difficult elements of marriage. Furious George is available as a trade paperback. Its colorful cover is a reproduction of the Herter’s Catalog. The book has a high-quality, durable binding and higher-quality paper than is usually associated with paperback books, making it seem as much of an investment as it is a purchase.
