Railway Posters

by Lorna Frost

Railway posters have a huge appeal to the modern audience, but just what is it that appeals to us? Enduring images of iconic locomotives, bathing beauties and characters such as Sunny South Sam are testament to the persuasive power of the railway company marketing departments established in the late nineteenth century. Railway posters not only tell us about railway history and technology, architectural and engineering accomplishments, but they also give us insights into the cultural and social significance of the railways. The influence of the railway industry on our cities and coastlines and the development of leisure time and holiday resorts can be seen in the recurring images of ramblers, bathers and idyllic tourist destinations. This book explores the changing styles and functions of the railway poster from the early pre-grouping days through to the inter-war 'golden age', World War Two and the nationalised British Railways.

Genres: Nonfiction

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Hosein · Rating 3 out of 5]

این کتاب پوسترهای راه آهن و تورهای سفری بریتانیا از اواخر قرن نوزدهم تا دهه هفتاد رو شامل می‌شه. در کل از لحاظ زیبایی و گرافیک چیز جالبیه، اما مطالبش اونقدر برام من اهمیتی نداشتن و بیشتر شبیه یک کار تبلیغاتی از یک سازمان دولتی بود.
انتظار هم داشتم تعداد پوسترها بیشتر باشه، ولی فکر کنم ۲۰-۲۵تا فقط توی این کتاب بودن که باز هم بهتر از هیچیه.

[Bookshire Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thin in volume but comprehensive and well written. A nice introduction to the topic of British railway posters. A lot of reproductions.

[Frank Callaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tidy little book is a nice one, not just for the railway enthusiast, or those who have an interest in art, printing or posters and their history, but it makes for an interesting read for the casual reader who wants something that will not take long to get through or that can be read in short bursts, given that each chapter is no more than a few pages long
The history of the railway poster is simplified and explained in an interesting way, and there are plenty of colourful plates of posters from across the railway periods to stimulate and explain and illustrate the text.
I would have liked more posters, and it's a pity that the book couldn't have been in a slightly larger format allowing some of he posters to be printed on a larger scale.
I understand the financial restrictions of this, and anyway, it didn't greatly distract from this delightful small handbook and reference. An interesting little read, and the sort of book that people will browse through if left on a table in your home.
Loved it

[Hyarrowen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating overview of an almost-lost art form – the railway posters of the Golden Age of British railways. Pure nostalgia and enjoyment: right up to the modern day, and the reproduction of a poster featuring Jimmy Savile. That broke the mood completely, and given the book's publication date, it's unforgivable. I'm in two minds whether I should tear out the offending page and chuck it on the fire, or do the same to the entire book. It's not the fault of the great poster artists who created the art form, though, so I might go with the former option?

Rating reflects total ambivalence about this book.