A comprehensive history of the Holt and Best Tractors, exploring the history of Daniel Best, Benjamin Holt and their enterprises and products, starting in the 1880s and continuing until 1925, when the Holt & Best companies were combined into "The Caterpillar Tractor Company." The Historical Construction Equipment Association (HCEA) publication, "Equipment Echoes", in their 2006 fall issue stated; "The Caterpillar's Roots" is "the first to explore in such detail the history of Daniel Best, Benjamin Holt and their enterprises and products. The author presents a fascinating journey through the histories of Holt and Best," and this book has; "an incredible variety of rare images".