New Book Celebrates 100th Anniversary of the Farmall Tractor
March 8, 2023
Tractors are essential to daily life. We use them to cultivate the crops we eat, clear snow on our roads, construct the buildings we occupy–even help rescue survivors of natural disasters. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Farmall tractor. Austin-based independent book publisher Octane Press is celebrating this significant historic milestone with the launch of two books this year.
Farmall Century (release date July 4, 2023) for all tractor enthusiasts, and Farmall in the Family: with Casey & Friends (release date April 4, 2023) for children ages 4–8. Both books are available for pre-order at octanepress.com or anywhere books are sold. Farmall Century is a beautifully written, researched, and photographed once-in-a-lifetime keepsake book that chronicles the rich history of the Farmall tractor. Award-winning author and photographer Lee Klancher, who has been writing on the topic since 1995, was inspired to take on this project in celebration of the 100th year milestone.
“The original Farmall is one of the most important tractor innovations in history. We have published a series of award-winning books covering the red tractors built by Case IH, whose brand heritage include the legendary Farmall and International Harvester tractors. Those books had not gone in-depth on their earliest history, 1902 to 1956, which is considered the golden age of the brand.”
“The Farmall anniversary is the perfect time to publish a book covering the early International Harvester years as well as the birth of the Farmall,” Klancher said. “We also have uncovered a vast store of new details about the historic machines, giving us a wonderful platform to tell great stories that illustrate the history of Farmall and early International Harvester machines.”
Farmall Century is the fourth book in the Red Tractors series. The first in the series, the award-winning Red Tractors (September 2013), was a worldwide hit. Now in its third edition, Red Tractors was followed by Red Combines (2015) and Red 4WD Tractors (2017). The three books have won nine independent book publishing awards, with more than 100,000 copies sold.
Farmall in the Family: with Casey & Friends by Wisconsin-native, author, and educator Holly Dufek takes children on a tractor adventure through the last one hundred years—back to when the first International Harvester Farmall tractors were made. Filled with animated characters and colorful illustrations, the 32-page book educates and inspires the younger generation to learn and engage with farming and tractor history.
Farmall in the Family is the eighth in the Casey & Friends book series, which presents farm machinery at work with animated characters. The series incorporates science, technology, and math and is for children ages 4–8.
“The children’s book can light a fire in children, sparking their interest in how farm machines help feed them and the world. The adult book can turn that spark into a life-long passion to learn how these machines have transformed our society and how early America was a seedbed for creating new technology,” states Klancher.
Octane Press is committed to producing exceptional publications that celebrate machinery while providing in-depth information that generates enthusiasm from every generation. From tractor calendars to books for all ages, there is something for everyone to enjoy.
For more information and to order the Farmall books, go to www.octanepress.com or anywhere books are sold.
Source: Octane Press
