New Book Chronicles the Battle Between Agricultural Equipment Makers John Deere and International Harvester in the Depths of the Farm Crisis
Austin, Texas. August 1, 2024. New from award-winning book publisher Octane Press, Snoopy and the Spy details the events that led to International Harvester’s last days and ultimate downfall. Author Lee Klancher engagingly chronicles an unprecedented agriculture tech race that took place during the worst farm crisis in modern history. The book dives into how each company’s loyal soldiers employed corporate espionage in the name of gaining a sliver of competitive advantage—or in the case of International Harvester, to fight a losing battle for survival.
Snoopy and the Spy provides the historical context to how and why the companies went to battle and uncovers intimate accounts of the corporate espionage that took place. Klancher centers the story around a spirited tractor salesman, John “Bud” Youle, who pulled every punch he could think of to save International Harvester from ruin and to keep his “baby”—the 2+2 tractor—from agriculture equipment obscurity.
Opening in sweltering New Orleans heat in 1982, Bud makes the decision to take one for his corporate team. He sneaks into the Superdome, where John Deere planned a showcase to reveal new machines to its dealers. Bud’s goal was to gather intelligence on the new model’s technical features—his methods crossed a line, and the consequences of his actions would reverberate into modern times. Bud sold Harvester on the idea, claiming in order to get ahead of the competition, he needed to find out how the new machines measured up. But what he was really after was the new machine’s weaknesses.
The book flashes back to the impetus of the fierce competition between the world’s leading farm equipment giants. The extreme loyalty from both the employees of the farm behemoths as well as from the customers is uncanny. The radical lengths both camps go to are almost hard to believe. Company men sneak into showcases, scale ravines, and grill suppliers all in an effort to capture photographs, measurements, and technical details about upcoming machines . . . and that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Beginning in the 1970s and leading up to the unforgettable event of 1982 in New Orleans, Klancher engages readers with fresh, untold stories about the 2+2 tractor, the intense competitive environment, the 50 Series launch, and all the gory details of the events that led to Harvester’s spectacular downfall.
If you appreciate history, tractors, and a story so intriguing it makes James Bond’s head spin, you won’t want to miss Snoopy and the Spy.
With an official launch date of September 17, 2024, (just in time for the fall harvest!) Snoopy and the Spy is available for order from Octane Press, or wherever books are sold. Please contact media@octanepress.com .
Title: Snoopy and the Spy
Subtitle: A Saga of Espionage, Ingenuity, and the Epic Battle to Save International Harvester
Author: Lee Klancher
Hardcover ISBN-13: 9781642341850
Publication Date: October 29, 2024
Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 1 in
Pages: 144
Retail Price: $24.95
LEE KLANCHER’s career encompasses more than thirty years of publishing great stories. As an editor and publisher, he has overseen the development of some of the most-respected and best-selling books in the transportation niche. A prolific author and photographer, Klancher has contributed words and images to more than thirty books as well as dozens of national magazines including Men’s Journal, Draft, and Motorcyclist.
OCTANE PRESS has published more than 200 books since 2010, won thirty-five independent book awards, and reached more than one million readers.