A recently released book details the 50-year history of North Dakota-based Bobcat Co. from the humble beginnings of the first compact loader to what has grown into a worldwide brand. Now, Bobcat is offering a special edition of the hardcover coffee table book that will not be sold in stores.

To mark its 50^th Anniversary, Bobcat introduced Bobcat: Fifty Years of Opportunity — 1958 – 2008. Published by Motorbooks International and authored by Marty Padgett, the book features 11 chapters and 264 pages. MBI also published a bookstore version — “Bobcat Fifty Years,” with five chapters and 216 pages. The special edition will only be available through Bobcat channels starting in mid-October.

“We realized that there was a little more of interest to Bobcat dealers, employees and former employees, friends and neighbors, and to good Bobcat customers who are as much a part of the history as we are,” said Leroy Anderson, marketing communication manager and Bobcat Co. historian. “So we added six more chapters full of anecdotes and advertising history that paint an even richer picture of the unique Bobcat culture.”

Bobcat: Fifty Years of Opportunity contains a complete Bobcat product index and interviews with many of the key individuals who helped transform the North Dakota company into a global leader, including Cyril and Louis Keller (inventors of the first loader), Sylvan Melroe (the company’s first advertising manager), Eugene Dahl (brother-in-law to the four Melroe brothers and a former company executive), past presidents and management team members, former demonstrators and engineers, and other retirees. Many of these accounts are in print for the very first time.

Bobcat: Fifty Years of Opportunity — 1958 – 2008 can be purchased at local Bobcat dealerships or online at www.bobcatstore.com starting Oct. 15.

Bobcat recently released a book that details its 50-year history. Bobcat: Fifty Years of Opportunity — 1958 – 2008 is published by Motorbooks International and authored by Marty Padgett.