This is an outstanding company history. It covers a specific period in the story of one of the most important and largest companies in the United States at a time of important change. It demonstrates a number of leadership styles of company leaders and emphasizes a change from decentralization to centralization and mergers of four different businesses with a potential for synergy. The author engages the sympathy of the reader with each worker and officer profiled. Long as it was this was a "can't put it down" book and I almost cried when in the last few pages I read of a tour through the original 1906 headquarters building as the new head of the company, just appointed toured it with Katz.

Now, almost 25 years after the publication of The Big Store Sears has another major chief executive, a hedge fund man with a Goldman Sachs, no retail, background who since he took over in 2005 has merged with KMart. The Dean Witter and Coldwell real estate firm, even All State were long since spun off with a financial base for Sears. The Sears Tower is no longer named "Sears". Eddie Lampert now has taken over the strategy and Sears continues somewhere with KMart in about 10th place in major stores, but still a player.
In a couple more years it will be about time for "Big Store II".

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/keyword/edward-lampert
http://www.american.com/archive/2008/july-07-08/tears-for-sears/

It would be great to have a new followup volume of the most recent 25 years. Though published in 1987 it also includes a paragraph mentioning the success of Walmart already.

Reviews in 1987
Fortune
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1987/10/12/69620/index.ht... ( )