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Dangerous Days
Dangerous Days on the Victorian Railways: Terrors and Torments, Diseases and Deaths
The author of children's series Horrible Histories presents the second installment of history's terrors and torments, diseases and deaths, in his popular history series for adults
Facing feuds and frauds, robberies, and riots, and the disasters of dangerous drivers, deadly designers, and sleepy signalmen, Victorians risked more than just delays when stepping on a steam train. Victorian inventors certainly didn't lack steam, but squabbling over who deserved the title of "The Father of the Locomotive" and busy enjoying their fame and fortune, safety on the rails was not their priority. Brakes were seen as a needless luxury (until a steamer started to slide downhill towards disaster), and boilers had an inconvenient tendency to overheat and explode, and in turn, blow up anyone in reach. Four years after a mysterious murderer left only his victim's crushed hat and walking stick on board a first class carriage, England trembled at the trains once more. Poorly timed repairs caused a locomotive to derail and crash into the shallow River Beult, killing 10 passengers and injuring 40 more. The infamous Staplehurst disaster is said to have traumatized passenger Charles Dickens, threatening to expose his affair with the young Nell Ternan, and altering his health and writing for the rest of his life. Often recognized as having revolutionized travel and industrial Britain, Victorian railways were perilous, and few other histories honor the lives of the people killed or injured aboard the risky railroad.
Facing feuds and frauds, robberies, and riots, and the disasters of dangerous drivers, deadly designers, and sleepy signalmen, Victorians risked more than just delays when stepping on a steam train. Victorian inventors certainly didn't lack steam, but squabbling over who deserved the title of "The Father of the Locomotive" and busy enjoying their fame and fortune, safety on the rails was not their priority. Brakes were seen as a needless luxury (until a steamer started to slide downhill towards disaster), and boilers had an inconvenient tendency to overheat and explode, and in turn, blow up anyone in reach. Four years after a mysterious murderer left only his victim's crushed hat and walking stick on board a first class carriage, England trembled at the trains once more. Poorly timed repairs caused a locomotive to derail and crash into the shallow River Beult, killing 10 passengers and injuring 40 more. The infamous Staplehurst disaster is said to have traumatized passenger Charles Dickens, threatening to expose his affair with the young Nell Ternan, and altering his health and writing for the rest of his life. Often recognized as having revolutionized travel and industrial Britain, Victorian railways were perilous, and few other histories honor the lives of the people killed or injured aboard the risky railroad.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
224 pages, Paperback
First published May 22, 2014
12 people are currently reading
188 people want to read
About the author
Terry Deary
823 books824 followersA former actor, theatre-director and drama teacher, Deary says he began writing when he was 29. Most famously, he is one of the authors of the Horrible Histories series of books popular among children for their disgusting details, gory information and humorous pictures and among adults for getting children interested in history. Books in the series have been widely translated into other languages and imitated.
A cartoon series has been made of the series of books and was shown on CiTV for a period in 2002.
The first series of a live-action comedy sketch show of the same name was shown on CBBC in 2009 and a second series is due.
Terry is also known widely throughout children and adult reading groups alike for his True Stories series (see below for series list).
He received an Honorary Doctorate of Education from the University of Sunderland in 2000. His numerous accolades also include the Blue Peter "Best Nonfiction Author of the Century" Award in the U.K.
-Wikipedia
A cartoon series has been made of the series of books and was shown on CiTV for a period in 2002.
The first series of a live-action comedy sketch show of the same name was shown on CBBC in 2009 and a second series is due.
Terry is also known widely throughout children and adult reading groups alike for his True Stories series (see below for series list).
He received an Honorary Doctorate of Education from the University of Sunderland in 2000. His numerous accolades also include the Blue Peter "Best Nonfiction Author of the Century" Award in the U.K.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 20, 2021
What a super read, loads of historical context that I probably should have known but didn't. As a social history book as well as a railway history this makes superb reading for any age. Along the line of Full Steam Ahead from the BBC but with just a touch more humour to keep the reading light even though some of the subject could be a little dark or heavy.
May 29, 2014
Terry Deary is well known for bringing history to life for the young people of the UK with his gory and brilliant Horrible Histories series. He did this for me too and gave me a love of history I will now never lose. Dangerous Days is a new series which is essentially "Horrible Histories for adults". I suspect the aim is give new content to fans of the series who have now grown up and I feel I imagine I fit the target market exactly.
In terms of style, it really is very similar to the Horrible Histories books. There are chapters organised by theme, little "did you know" sections and regular overview timelines. The writing has a more adult style but not in a lurid way. It's adult because it is more complicated, not because it contains more sex and violence. Well it does contain violence but not more than Horrible Histories, just described ore graphically. That's largely thanks to the death descriptions given by Dr. Peter Fox who really adds something to this.
In terms of content, I was a little disappointed. The early chapters are really good, telling the story of Richard Trevithick, James Watt and George and Robert Stephenson and how they were between them responsible for the first railways and there was a great chapter on navvies but for the most part this felt like it barely scratched the surface of the subject. I imagine that the format works really well for a period of history, like the Romans (the first book in the series) or the Elizabethans (the next book) but for something as specific as the Victorian railways we need proper content. I feel there is so much more to Victorian railways than was in this book and it is a subject that just didn't need horrible history-fying.
A disappointing work because it didn't quite come together to be as good as it could have been but it is very promising for the series. My recommendation would be to ignore this one and try the others!
In terms of style, it really is very similar to the Horrible Histories books. There are chapters organised by theme, little "did you know" sections and regular overview timelines. The writing has a more adult style but not in a lurid way. It's adult because it is more complicated, not because it contains more sex and violence. Well it does contain violence but not more than Horrible Histories, just described ore graphically. That's largely thanks to the death descriptions given by Dr. Peter Fox who really adds something to this.
In terms of content, I was a little disappointed. The early chapters are really good, telling the story of Richard Trevithick, James Watt and George and Robert Stephenson and how they were between them responsible for the first railways and there was a great chapter on navvies but for the most part this felt like it barely scratched the surface of the subject. I imagine that the format works really well for a period of history, like the Romans (the first book in the series) or the Elizabethans (the next book) but for something as specific as the Victorian railways we need proper content. I feel there is so much more to Victorian railways than was in this book and it is a subject that just didn't need horrible history-fying.
A disappointing work because it didn't quite come together to be as good as it could have been but it is very promising for the series. My recommendation would be to ignore this one and try the others!
December 2, 2020
This book is written by the legendary Terry Deary, who created the Horrible Histories series. Here, I guess we see that he’s diversified, although he’s still teaching us plenty about history. It’s just that it’s written more for adults, although you might not realise that from glancing at it. In fact, I was pretty surprised that it contained the word “fucking”, which might be a bit of a bummer if you got this for your kids.
But it does have some great information on the rise of the railways and the key figures involved, and it even sets the record straight in a couple of places. As with most of history, there are a few people who’ve been underserved and then forgotten.
Overall, if you’re looking for a book to read that will teach you a little bit about how our railway systems came about, this is perfect for a beginner. There are also none of those annoying little quizzes that mess with the flow when you read one of Deary’s Horrible Histories books. I’m sure they’re great if you’re a kid and all (although I seem to remember not liking them even then), but they do tend to slow things down as you’re going through it.
So would I recommend it? Yeah, I guess. It was alright, and a good little find considering I paid next to nothing for it. Don’t go out of your way to try to track it down though, unless you’re massively into trains and the like.
But it does have some great information on the rise of the railways and the key figures involved, and it even sets the record straight in a couple of places. As with most of history, there are a few people who’ve been underserved and then forgotten.
Overall, if you’re looking for a book to read that will teach you a little bit about how our railway systems came about, this is perfect for a beginner. There are also none of those annoying little quizzes that mess with the flow when you read one of Deary’s Horrible Histories books. I’m sure they’re great if you’re a kid and all (although I seem to remember not liking them even then), but they do tend to slow things down as you’re going through it.
So would I recommend it? Yeah, I guess. It was alright, and a good little find considering I paid next to nothing for it. Don’t go out of your way to try to track it down though, unless you’re massively into trains and the like.
June 7, 2014
Lots of fun facts, dark humour and macabre incidents abound as we follow the story of the railways. Myths are busted, ie Watt didn't invent the steam engine, he improved a design.
There's crime, corruption, disease etc. May have to look out for more in the series.
There's crime, corruption, disease etc. May have to look out for more in the series.
August 7, 2023
This book had an incredible amount of information, was well-researched, and seemed to me to be a labor of love, but it was an incredibly difficult read. I can identify three reasons for that:
1- Poor organization. The author hops around from topic to timeline to safety issue so fast that the reader gets whiplash, often revisiting the same concepts sporadically and without warning or context, forcing the reader to dig around in the pile of names that have been thrown at them to figure out which one is applicable at this moment and remember what had happened previously. The book is presented in a linear fashion, but jumps around in time so much for that to be a pointless effort, forming more of a web of scattered events.
2- Tangents. The author goes on an incredible number of tangents, most of them facilitated by footnotes and random facts barely associated with the topic at hand. I'm convinced they put everything they learned while writing the book into it instead of keeping it limited to, you know, trains. At times the book reads more like a trivia database than anything else, and there is an honestly incredibly number of quotes just scattered throughout the book, some applicable, most not.
3- Author voice. The author is very opinionated and allows their biases to soak the information, often making up dialogue and quotes, putting thoughts into character's heads, and going on historical 'what ifs' so often that I've already excised most of the information presented in the book because I can't recall whether or not the author made it up. The author also insists on a ridiculous amount of alliteration, puns, and jokes explained in footnotes to the point where it feels like a grandparent writing a letter and trying to sound cool.
I would only recommend this book to grade schoolers, simply due to the amount of distracting asides, disjointed presentation of information, and 'quirky' author voice. This is not a book I would rely on in a professional sense when researching trains.
Would not read again, do not recommend.
1- Poor organization. The author hops around from topic to timeline to safety issue so fast that the reader gets whiplash, often revisiting the same concepts sporadically and without warning or context, forcing the reader to dig around in the pile of names that have been thrown at them to figure out which one is applicable at this moment and remember what had happened previously. The book is presented in a linear fashion, but jumps around in time so much for that to be a pointless effort, forming more of a web of scattered events.
2- Tangents. The author goes on an incredible number of tangents, most of them facilitated by footnotes and random facts barely associated with the topic at hand. I'm convinced they put everything they learned while writing the book into it instead of keeping it limited to, you know, trains. At times the book reads more like a trivia database than anything else, and there is an honestly incredibly number of quotes just scattered throughout the book, some applicable, most not.
3- Author voice. The author is very opinionated and allows their biases to soak the information, often making up dialogue and quotes, putting thoughts into character's heads, and going on historical 'what ifs' so often that I've already excised most of the information presented in the book because I can't recall whether or not the author made it up. The author also insists on a ridiculous amount of alliteration, puns, and jokes explained in footnotes to the point where it feels like a grandparent writing a letter and trying to sound cool.
I would only recommend this book to grade schoolers, simply due to the amount of distracting asides, disjointed presentation of information, and 'quirky' author voice. This is not a book I would rely on in a professional sense when researching trains.
Would not read again, do not recommend.
March 20, 2023
This was such an entertaining book and one that was super easy to read. It may seem a niche market, reading a book on Victorian railways, but it’s a book everyone will get something out of. With its humour and wit, entertainment value and learning about the key players and often gritty ends of those involved and travelling in the railways, it’s a great book.
I’m a long time fan of Terry Deary; his humour and his easy way of recounting history. I love history and he’s really brought it to life for me from a young age. I’ve learnt so much from him, so for that I’m indebted and this was another one to add to the memory banks. Who would have thought you could find the development of the railways over Victorian England so interesting?
Yeah it’s fairly bloody and blasé in its retelling of past disasters that have been recorded throughout history, the ground is covers was vast, from robberies, to crashes, to human errors and passenger stories. Charles Dickens was even involved in his own railway scrape! There’s many instances that made me laugh and using footnotes for humour is always a win in my view.
I also loved the smattering of quotes throughout the book which added to the overall enjoyment of reading. I wish there was more in this series as dangerous days in Victorian England was a fab book too.
I’m a long time fan of Terry Deary; his humour and his easy way of recounting history. I love history and he’s really brought it to life for me from a young age. I’ve learnt so much from him, so for that I’m indebted and this was another one to add to the memory banks. Who would have thought you could find the development of the railways over Victorian England so interesting?
Yeah it’s fairly bloody and blasé in its retelling of past disasters that have been recorded throughout history, the ground is covers was vast, from robberies, to crashes, to human errors and passenger stories. Charles Dickens was even involved in his own railway scrape! There’s many instances that made me laugh and using footnotes for humour is always a win in my view.
I also loved the smattering of quotes throughout the book which added to the overall enjoyment of reading. I wish there was more in this series as dangerous days in Victorian England was a fab book too.
May 5, 2024
DNF, I can't understand why this book didn't work out for me, it's laid out nicely, it's humorous, it's in easy to read chunks and it's on a subject I enjoy, but I just couldn't get into it and I wish I could have! I did find the beginning about who invented trains and such rather dry, I guess I was expecting derailed disasters from page one. There are quotes in little boxes on each page and most of the time they're completely unrelated to the story or people being discussed, I found that frustrating and distracting.
Once the disasters do start, that's all good for the morbidly curious, lots of splattered people going on, but maybe the bite size chunks (no pun intended) made it too short to really pull me into the horror and terror the way I wanted. I think I was expecting long, gruesome, vivid tales that give you goosebumps and these little mini versions didn't let me sink my teeth in long enough.
The author is hilarious and for the right reader, I think this would be an incredible read.
Once the disasters do start, that's all good for the morbidly curious, lots of splattered people going on, but maybe the bite size chunks (no pun intended) made it too short to really pull me into the horror and terror the way I wanted. I think I was expecting long, gruesome, vivid tales that give you goosebumps and these little mini versions didn't let me sink my teeth in long enough.
The author is hilarious and for the right reader, I think this would be an incredible read.
August 7, 2017
Horrible Histories pre veľkých. Občas bol vtipný, občas sa snažil byť vtipný, občas vtipný nebol (alebo som to len nepochopila). Kniha o čase pary a vynáleze železníc a vlakov (vymyslel ich vlastne niekto úplne iný ako sa väčšinou uvádza, len Stephenson bol zrejme rýchlejší v patentovaní). A naučila som sa kopu nových slov (vedeli ste, že 'a whodunnit' je detektívka? ja teda nie).
August 8, 2020
A collection of anecdotes, epigraphs, puns, footnotes, wry observations, asides, listicles, sidebars, and factoids about bad things that happened to and on British Victorian trains. The tone is very tongue-in-cheek. It didn’t do much for me, but this particular mix of humor and history may be someone else’s favorite thing.
July 4, 2020
this book was so unengaging i put it down for 6 months and forced myself to finish it. i think it might work better as an audio book, or as a documentary; in book form it just dragged. there were enjoyable bits! but compared to dangerous days in the roman empire this is far more boring
May 20, 2017
219 - 2017
March 20, 2019
I'm trying to read more non fiction, add to that old railways, a childhood author and a lovely green cover = a book I will read.
June 5, 2021
Enjoyed the book. Wasn't a fan of the random quotes throughout though. Apart from that was pleasant to read.
December 27, 2021
Morbid but funny, and also extremely interesting. I visited Blists Hill in Ironbridge, UK recently and was excited to see a full scale model of Trevithick's first engine.
March 5, 2017
Very good. Learnt a lot about a subject that I knew only little about as the style of the writing was easy to follow and the style of the chapters helped as it had breaks to give more information when needed.
January 9, 2017
Dangerous Days is Deary's new history series for adults, or at the very least young adults. It's in the juvenile section at my library, but that's really not an appropriate classification, at least not to me, as Deary discusses death in graphic medical detail and brings up sexual intrigue in, again, worrying detail. I'd save this for a preteen at the very earliest.
That said, I kind of love them. This is basically Deary's first series, Horrible Histories, that has been updated and aged up for an older audience. It has also been corrected for accuracy, as many of the Horrible Histories were written before several recent and major advances in historical research rendered many of them inaccurate. However, Deary sticks to his strengths here, concentrating on the little horrible details that really bring the past to life. Great books for the teenager who has aged past the Horrible Histories but still wants something fun and gruesome to read, or for the adult who refuses to age past the Horrible Histories but also wants something fun and gruesome to read. I'd definitely recommend these.
That said, I kind of love them. This is basically Deary's first series, Horrible Histories, that has been updated and aged up for an older audience. It has also been corrected for accuracy, as many of the Horrible Histories were written before several recent and major advances in historical research rendered many of them inaccurate. However, Deary sticks to his strengths here, concentrating on the little horrible details that really bring the past to life. Great books for the teenager who has aged past the Horrible Histories but still wants something fun and gruesome to read, or for the adult who refuses to age past the Horrible Histories but also wants something fun and gruesome to read. I'd definitely recommend these.
October 30, 2016
My least favourite entry in the "Dangerous Days" series to date. A fascinating story about the creation of the railways leads to a book that becomes far too obsessed with lists of train disasters, far too distinctly anti-capitalist in tone (I'd almost call it a socialist historical lament), and far too full of supposedly humorous quotes & footnotes. In fact, they tend to be distracting at best, often irritating, and a few times utterly unpleasant (the Robert Mugabe entry is particularly distasteful and unnecessary). Your humour mileage may vary, but apart from some useful industrial facts from the Victorian age, I won't be re-visiting this book any time soon.
March 6, 2015
Deary tackles the Victorians and their advancement of the railway system in his humorous fashion. I wasn't wholly interested in the topic but the author made it somewhat entertaining.
November 23, 2016
never thought a book about the history of the railway in the UK would be interesting but here we are!
January 1, 2016
Fun and informative.
not-for-me
October 20, 2018i can't help but find this so dreary and unengaging. reading even a chapter is a tedious chore.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews