The "Famous Leaders Series" Home Page
Published January 5, 2023
Overview of the Famous Leaders Series: "Character" and "Industry"
  • Reviews of the Day: 1920–55
  • Famous Leaders of Character: 1922
  • Famous Leaders of Industry: 1920–55 Series 1, 2, 3, and 6
Reviews of the Entire “Famous Leaders” Series: 1920–1955
Only one review was found of these books in the 1955–56 timeframe when the sixth and final book in this series was published with a focus on famous American men who “had won their way to high status.”
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So far, no overarching perspective on these works covering the four decades has been found, but a review of the first in this series in 1920 is provided below:
“It is a book of inspiration, as well as a chronicle of achievement, and the right sort of boys will enjoy and profit by its reading.”
The Nashville Tennessean, “Book Reviews,” March 28, 1920
Links to reviews of these titles are below
Within this review is a major clue to understanding the excerpts about these famous individuals who, according to the author, won high industry stature: The books targeted a young audience—specifically adolescents, and not a more mature, hopefully wiser, research-oriented reader. To best understand these articles, the reader must understand its target audience.
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Edwin Wildman wrote this in “Famous Leaders of Industry: First and Second Series:”
“Boys, these are stories of boys, perhaps like yourselves—young ambitious, full of grit and anxious to make of your lives a success, both in earning money, building a business, and gaining honor and prestige among your fellows. …
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“What others have done; you can do—never forget that.”
Famous Leaders of Industry: First Series
“These stories of success are written not with the view of telling you how to succeed in your chosen work in the world, but to entertain you in a helpful manner by familiarizing you with the steps that led to the success of some of the men who have, by their industry, determination and resourcefulness, built up, largely from small beginnings, great success for themselves, and rendered a service to others.”
Famous Leaders of Industry: Second Series
The following are links to the overviews, reviews of the day, excerpts, and this author’s thoughts on each publication of the Famous Leaders Series: Industry and Character from the first half of the 20th Century. I found within these books several of the business leaders that I had studied previously, but also many I had no knowledge of before reading this collection.
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In the detailed reviews I have provided quick links to more in-depth biographical or autobiographical material if available on this website. These reviews are provided in chronological order of the year of publication.

Select the images to read the reviews.
​Famous Leaders of Industry: First and Second Series
Famous Leaders of Industry: First Series (1920)
“This is a great country. … A country that provides education in every vocation. Jobs, ownership, and control await the boys who are fit and who make the fight for success.”
Author: Edwin Wildman
Famous Leaders of Industry: Second Series (1920)
“To my young friends: These stories of success are written not with the view of telling you how to succeed in your chosen work in the world, but to entertain you in a helpful manner.”
Author: Edwin Wildman
Famous Leaders of Character
Famous Leaders of Character (1922)
“In this volume [the first and only in the character series] I have sought to bring together a group of men who, unlike the average American, have counted success, not so much in dollars and cents, as in a devotion to high ideals.”
Author: Edwin Wildman
Famous Leaders of Industry: Third and Sixth Series
Famous Leaders of Industry: Third Series (1931)
“Famous Leaders of Industry (with a new author: Trentwell M. White) discusses the lives of twenty-five men who have had the courage and independence … to work night and day to bring the results of their thinking to fruition.”
Author: Trentwell M. White
Famous Leaders of Industry: Sixth Series (1955)
“Here are inspiring, informative word-portraits of eighteen present-day [1955] Americans who have, through their usefulness and ability, reached top positions.”
Authors: Moynahan and Clark
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