All In a Day's Work : Seventy-Five Years of Caterpillar

In 1925, C.L. Best Tractor Company and The Holt Manufacturing Company to form Caterpillar Tractor Co. Today, Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines. The Caterpillar brand with the distinctive CAT yellow is recognized all over the planet.

All in a Day's Work tells the story of how Caterpillar grew from its modest California beginnings to become a $20 billion global powerhouse. In this gorgeous, 288-page coffeetable book, every page features full-color photos both contemporary and archival and a first-class design, worthy of the best art book. The text--punctuated by sidebars, timelines, and so forth--covers the products, the people, and events that worked together to shape the company.

Sections on WWI and WWII tell how the enterprise thrived and contributed to America's efforts overseas. A chapter called Our Stories features employees' and retirees' personal anecdotes about the company and its history. Taken together, they build a moving portrait not just of a thriving company, but of a burgeoning country and a changing world.

The book, of course, is the only print component of Caterpillar's anniversary events and PR efforts. The anniversary celebrations will center around Peoria, Illinois,the company's headquarters in the month of August. From August 2-20, the company will mount a Power Parade of Caterpillar products, where an attendance of 105,000 is expected. That will be followed by a special celebration/demonstration by the Caterpillar Antique Machinery Owners Club on August 25-26, which 30,000 are expected to attend.

The book will be promoted in ads in Forbes and Forbes Global mailings to Caterpillar's shareholders and employees. The project will also be supported by a series of international press releases.