Extensively researched and vividly written by Pulitzer Prize­–winning journalist Michael D’Antonio, Hershey is the fascinating story of the unique American visionary Milton S. Hershey . The name Hershey evokes many things: chocolate bars, the company town in Pennsylvania, one of America’s most recognizable brands. But who was the man behind the name? In this compelling biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael D’Antonio gives us the real-life rags-to-riches story of Milton S. Hershey, a largely uneducated businessman whose idealistic sense of purpose created an immense financial empire, a town, and a legacy that lasts to this day. Hershey, the son of a minister’s daughter and an irresponsible father who deserted the family, began his career inauspiciously when the two candy shops he opened both went bankrupt. Undeterred, he started the Lancaster Caramel Company, which brought him success at last. Eventually he sold his caramel operation and went on to perfect the production process of chocolate to create a stable, consistent bar with a long shelf life...and an American icon was born. Hershey was more than a successful businessman—he was a progressive thinker who believed in capitalism as a means to higher goals. He built the world’s largest chocolate factory and a utopian village for his workers on a large tract of land in rural Pennsylvania, and used his own fortune to keep his workers employed during the Great Depression. In addition, he secretly willed his fortune to a boys’ school and orphanage, both of which now control a vast endowment. "Thorough and fair... Hershey is a valuable addition to the literature of American business and philanthropy." -- Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post Book World "A richly detailed biography of the founder and an absorbing history of the Hershey company." -- Hardy Green, BusinessWeek "[C]aptivating...unfolds much like a good novel." -- Jonathan Potts, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "A charming and absorbing account of one of American capitalism's eccentric visionaries." -- Anthony Day, Los Angeles Times Michael D’Antonio is the author of many acclaimed books, including Atomic Harvest , Fall from Grace , Tin Cup Dreams, Mosquito , and The State Boys Rebellion. His work has also appeared in Esquire , The New York Times Magazine, Los Angeles Times Magazine , Discover , and many other publications. Among his many awards is the Pulitzer Prize, which he shared with a team of reporters for New York Newsday. Hershey Milton S. Hershey's Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams By Michael D'Antonio Simon & Schuster Copyright © 2007 Michael D'Antonio All right reserved. ISBN: 9780743264105 Introduction Tourists who travel by car -- and more than four million come every year -- often start at the landmark Hotel Hershey, which occupies a ridge that rises more than a hundred feet above the Lebanon Valley in central Pennsylvania. It's a Moorish-style fortress with ornamental towers and a green tile roof. The view from its veranda is the best one available. To the south a scene that looks like a model railroad display comes to life. Cars speed along smooth asphalt highways. Lush cornfields give way to a color-splashed amusement park with ten roller coasters, a Ferris wheel, and a snaking monorail. Beyond the neon and flapping pennants stand old factory buildings, church spires, and houses. Every once in a while a freight train will snake its way along the tracks that slice through the valley. A drive into town on Sand Beach Road, which becomes Park Avenue, takes you along the east flank of the park. The double-track roller coaster -- ninety feet high at its tallest point -- is so close to the road that a falling cap could land on your car. Farther along, on a quieter, shady stretch of road waits a small zoo, which is set beside a pristine little creek. Park Avenue then takes a sharp turn and climbs up and over a bridge that crosses railroad tracks. On the other side you are suddenly deposited in another place and time. In downtown Hershey, the streetlights are shaped like giant Kisses candies. A century-old factory made of soft red brick sprouts a pair of giant smokestacks decorated with the letters H-E-R-S-H-E-Y. The emerald fairways of a golf course stretch out from the factory lawn. Across the avenue, gracious old houses, some dating from 1905, occupy carefully manicured properties. All of Hershey, including the zoo, the antique town, the amusement park, the playful streetlights, and even the factory, is clean and neat and cheerful. Even the names of the major streets -- Chocolate Avenue and Cocoa Avenue -- bring a smile to a visitor's face. And that's before he stops, gets out of the car, and realizes that the air in this Willy Wonka place smells like sweet cocoa. Hershey always smells like this. On a humid summer day when there is no breeze it's so strong you can taste it. In this town of 13,000