Railways

Christian Wolmar

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English

Head of Zeus
04 April 2023

Social & cultural history; Industrialisation & industrial history; Trains & railways: general interest

Series: The Landmark Library

From Britain's most popular railway historian, a concise, authoritative and fast-paced telling of how the railways changed the world.

The arrival of the railways in the first half of the nineteenth century and their subsequent spread across every one of the world's continents acted as a spur for economic growth and social change on an extraordinary scale. The 'iron road' stimulated innovation in engineering and architecture, enabled people and goods to move around the world more quickly than ever before, and played a critical role in warfare as well as in the social and economic spheres.

Christian Wolmar describes the emergence of modern railways in both Britain and the USA in the 1830s, and elsewhere in the following decade. He charts the surge in railway investment plans in Britain in the early 1840s and the ensuing 'railway mania' (which created the backbone of today's railway network), and

the unstoppable spread of the railways across Europe, America and Asia. Above all, he assesses the global impact of a technology that, arguably, had the most transformative impact on human society of any before the coming of the Internet, and which, as it approaches two centuries of existence, continues to play a key role in human society in the twenty-first century.

'A lucid and engaging account of the far-reaching effects that trains have had upon society' The Railway & Canal Historical Society

By: Christian Wolmar
Imprint: Head of Zeus
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 200mm, Width: 135mm,
ISBN: 9781788549851
ISBN 10: 1788549856
Series: The Landmark Library
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 04 April 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Christian Wolmar is an author and broadcaster specialising in transport matters. He writes regularly for The Times and the Guardian. His many books include The Subterranean Railway; the bestselling Fire and Steam: How the Railways Transformed Britain; Railways and the Raj; and (for Head of Zeus, 2018) The Story of Crossrail.

Reviews for Railways

Christian Wolmar – always a stimulating writer – presents a lucid and engaging account of the far-reaching effects that trains have had upon society * The Railway & Canal Historical Society * PRAISE FOR CHRISTIAN WOLMAR: 'Witty, fluent and opinionated' The Times, on To the Edge of the World. 'Fascinating... An excellent examination of one the most extraordinary engineering feats of the 19th century' Daily Express, on To the Edge of the World. 'I can think of few better ways to while away those elastic periods awaiting the arrival of the next eastbound Circle Line train than by reading [this book]' * Sunday Telegraph, on The Subterranean Railway *