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The World the Railways Made
Across American praries, through Siberian tundra, over Argentinian pampas and deep into the heart of Africa, the modern world began with the arrival of the railway. The shock was sudden and railways carried empire, capitalism and industrialization to every corner of the planet. For some, the 'Iron Road' symbolized the brute horrors of modernity; for others the way toward a brighter future.
From 1825, when the first passenger service linked Stockton and Darlington to the outbreak of World War I, Nicholas Faith presents an engaging and entertaining journey through the first century of rail, introducing visionaries, engineers, surveyors, speculators, financiers and navvies – the heroes and the rogues of the mechanical revolution that turned the world upside down.
The railway was the most important invention of the 19th Century, and THE WORLD THE RAILWAYS MADE argues that in the 21st Century, with high speed lines that can compete with air travel and over 190 metro systems in 54 countries underpinning the world's greatest cities, it remains just as relevant.
From 1825, when the first passenger service linked Stockton and Darlington to the outbreak of World War I, Nicholas Faith presents an engaging and entertaining journey through the first century of rail, introducing visionaries, engineers, surveyors, speculators, financiers and navvies – the heroes and the rogues of the mechanical revolution that turned the world upside down.
The railway was the most important invention of the 19th Century, and THE WORLD THE RAILWAYS MADE argues that in the 21st Century, with high speed lines that can compete with air travel and over 190 metro systems in 54 countries underpinning the world's greatest cities, it remains just as relevant.
507 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 1991
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34 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Faith
46 books15 followersNicholas Faith is a former senior editor for the Sunday Times and The Economist, a journalist and author.
He has written widely on wines, spirits and transport.
In 1996 he founded the International Spirits Challenge.
In September 2010 Nicholas Faith was the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Bureau National Interprofessional de Cognac.
He has written widely on wines, spirits and transport.
In 1996 he founded the International Spirits Challenge.
In September 2010 Nicholas Faith was the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Bureau National Interprofessional de Cognac.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
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July 12, 2018Given the potential scope of a book with this title, capital mobilisation, investment, managerialism, transformation of traditional industries, changes in information flows, changes to economies due to rapid transportation etc, perhaps it was inevitable that this brief book would be underwhelming.
OK as a readable, non-technical picture of the spread of railways during the nineteenth century that unfortunately chugs along at a steady pace and never impresses with great viaducts of insight arching across the gorges of ignorance.
OK as a readable, non-technical picture of the spread of railways during the nineteenth century that unfortunately chugs along at a steady pace and never impresses with great viaducts of insight arching across the gorges of ignorance.
October 23, 2019
Unlike most railway books, this is a fluidly written account that focuses on the societal aspects of the development of railways instead of the more technological ones. Focusing on the period before 1914, its chapters examine how railways impacted capitalism, economics, politics local and international, leisure, demography and city development, war and imperialism.
October 1, 2019
Very interesting read. What strong men and hard lives
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews