There is no doubt that Thomas J. Bata (1914 -2008), the 'Shoemaker to the World', who built the largest shoe empire of all time, was a man of global significance. But something strange happened when he returned to Czechoslovakia in 1989. When welcoming Thomas J. Bata back home, the Czechs were in fact celebrating the return of his father, and had no real interest in his own work. This book is an attempt to right that wrong.

It comes in two parts. In the first part, thirty-two different people from all walks of life paint thirty-two different pictures of this extraordinary man. The second part offers a quick overview of his vast achievements in business and enterprise.

The story of the life and work of Thomas J. Bata is further illustrated by a number of fascinating personal photographs.