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The Definitive Visual History
Train: The Definitive Visual History
Visit a train station and create a colorful fold-out scene with all your favorite trains.
DK Picture Stickers in favorite themes offer great value and hours of sticker fun in a terrific accordion-page format. Kids can create an exciting scene on one of the poster-size spreads, and then pull it out to hang in a bedroom or playroom. Fun facts accompany each reusable sticker.
DK Picture Stickers in favorite themes offer great value and hours of sticker fun in a terrific accordion-page format. Kids can create an exciting scene on one of the poster-size spreads, and then pull it out to hang in a bedroom or playroom. Fun facts accompany each reusable sticker.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
33 people are currently reading
346 people want to read
About the author
D.K. Publishing
9,125 books2,066 followersDorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.
Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.
Source: Wikipedia.
Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.
Source: Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 13, 2015
I have been a train enthusiast from a very young age being that I grew up in an old steel mill town ripe with abandoned train yards and locomotives. What better book to satisfy my love for trains than a presentation from the world-renowned Smithsonian Institute? Enter: “Train: The Definitive Visual History”.
“Train” is a full-colored oversize coffee table book which attempts to do exactly what the subtitle states: demonstrate the growth of trains from conception to modern times. The pages of “Train” emphasize the photographs of locomotives on a chronological and functional basis. Each section is accompanied by a small introductory paragraph describing the era and train progression while individual labels explain details such type, wheel size, railway, top speed, maker, cylinders, etc.
Although the photos do portrait the change and growth of trains; “Train” is low on text and explanatory phrasing making it somewhat lacking in information and even confusing to those readers unfamiliar with trains and/or their mechanical parts. Furthermore, “Train” suffers from repetition which is very noticeable due to its limited text and also some spelling and graphical errors (how do editors miss these things?!).
On the positive end, “Train” doesn’t singularly focus only on locomotives but also offers supplements and insights on box cars, train designers, railroads, history, and unique train facts. This makes “Train” a bit more comprehensive than a simple graphical coffee table book.
One of the strongest features of “Train” which will appeal to the general readers is the supplements which highlight luxury/vacation rail lines/trains around the world. Sounding almost like an educative travel brochure; it is difficult to read these and not want to hop on the next train.
At the middle point, “Train” starts to run together with each train sounding the same as the next. Thus, if reading the book cover-to-cover; breaks are definitely recommended to best retain the information and maintain keenness for the topic.
The final chapter of “Train” ends the book on a strong note briefly touching on various aspects of the train world in current times such as modern train mechanics and speeds, historic railroads, and train stations around the world. This couples with an appendix explaining train tracks, wheels, signals, how steam, electric, and diesel trains work; and a glossary forming a memorable encore to the text. Although exciting if read last; this portion is conversely suggested to be at least browsed first as it makes the entire book much easier to understand.
Overall, “Train” successfully meets its agenda of visually showing the history of trains by comparing locomotives. Noticeably, the book has more of an impact on train enthusiasts but its artful graphic will entertain a general reader, as well; making a wonderful addition to a coffee table stack. “Train” is highly recommended for all train-lovers or for those who enjoy unique, oversized, coffee table books.
“Train” is a full-colored oversize coffee table book which attempts to do exactly what the subtitle states: demonstrate the growth of trains from conception to modern times. The pages of “Train” emphasize the photographs of locomotives on a chronological and functional basis. Each section is accompanied by a small introductory paragraph describing the era and train progression while individual labels explain details such type, wheel size, railway, top speed, maker, cylinders, etc.
Although the photos do portrait the change and growth of trains; “Train” is low on text and explanatory phrasing making it somewhat lacking in information and even confusing to those readers unfamiliar with trains and/or their mechanical parts. Furthermore, “Train” suffers from repetition which is very noticeable due to its limited text and also some spelling and graphical errors (how do editors miss these things?!).
On the positive end, “Train” doesn’t singularly focus only on locomotives but also offers supplements and insights on box cars, train designers, railroads, history, and unique train facts. This makes “Train” a bit more comprehensive than a simple graphical coffee table book.
One of the strongest features of “Train” which will appeal to the general readers is the supplements which highlight luxury/vacation rail lines/trains around the world. Sounding almost like an educative travel brochure; it is difficult to read these and not want to hop on the next train.
At the middle point, “Train” starts to run together with each train sounding the same as the next. Thus, if reading the book cover-to-cover; breaks are definitely recommended to best retain the information and maintain keenness for the topic.
The final chapter of “Train” ends the book on a strong note briefly touching on various aspects of the train world in current times such as modern train mechanics and speeds, historic railroads, and train stations around the world. This couples with an appendix explaining train tracks, wheels, signals, how steam, electric, and diesel trains work; and a glossary forming a memorable encore to the text. Although exciting if read last; this portion is conversely suggested to be at least browsed first as it makes the entire book much easier to understand.
Overall, “Train” successfully meets its agenda of visually showing the history of trains by comparing locomotives. Noticeably, the book has more of an impact on train enthusiasts but its artful graphic will entertain a general reader, as well; making a wonderful addition to a coffee table stack. “Train” is highly recommended for all train-lovers or for those who enjoy unique, oversized, coffee table books.
February 1, 2020
Like most Dorling and Kindersley offerings the best feature of this book are the excellent illustrations. I found the organisation a bit random and the use of double page collages of individual items didn’t always work. It’s not a great reference book, but it’s a nice book to just dip into every now and again.
July 12, 2022
A lovely picture book that is well laid out. I liked the little shadows under each train against the white page to add a sense of weight. I did this on the 10 inch tablet and the print was just big enough for these old eyes, so wouldn't recommend the digital version on anything smaller. The layout is retained from the print book so you can't pop out the pictures to full screen, but pinching and sliding works well enough.
Many pages feature half a dozen or more trains with a little heading paragraph about the category and some information about each one. This is more of a picture book than a reference book on these pages which form most of the book. There are expanded sections about individual trains and lines that are quite interesting with a fair amount of text and lots of lovely pictures.
This is a take your time book that does require lots of zooming on the digital version. Worth the time and effort for a pleasant experience.
Many pages feature half a dozen or more trains with a little heading paragraph about the category and some information about each one. This is more of a picture book than a reference book on these pages which form most of the book. There are expanded sections about individual trains and lines that are quite interesting with a fair amount of text and lots of lovely pictures.
This is a take your time book that does require lots of zooming on the digital version. Worth the time and effort for a pleasant experience.
February 1, 2024
In this book, you can learn about the "History of The Train".
If you know someone who loves trains, freight cars, bullet trains, and other rail vehicles, this book would be a great gift.
Humans are constantly on the move from one place to another and need to transport their daily needs. The invention and development of the railroad was a major event for people.
And my father worked in the railroad industry, so I know that railroad work is strict with time and rules. We are grateful to our forefathers for inventing and developing the railroad.
I would love to experience traveling around Europe on the Orient Express!
If you know someone who loves trains, freight cars, bullet trains, and other rail vehicles, this book would be a great gift.
Humans are constantly on the move from one place to another and need to transport their daily needs. The invention and development of the railroad was a major event for people.
And my father worked in the railroad industry, so I know that railroad work is strict with time and rules. We are grateful to our forefathers for inventing and developing the railroad.
I would love to experience traveling around Europe on the Orient Express!
March 19, 2019
If you are a rail fan and like trains this book is for you. Chock-a-block full of engines from the very beginning of locomotive development the the future of railway travel. One disappointment was the emphasis on European technology and less so on North American technology. Were the Europeans more innovative then North Americans? We don’t know because the book doesn’t say. More examples of NorthAmerican engines would have rounded it out. Otherwise this book was very interesting and well with the read.
April 23, 2023
Well who's surprised that I read a book about trains? 🤣🤣 I learned a lot about their history and the impact that railroads have had on human history.
It once again highlighted how far in the past this country is living in when it comes to high speed, public, rail transportation.
It once again highlighted how far in the past this country is living in when it comes to high speed, public, rail transportation.
January 3, 2019
A fantastic railway book!
January 24, 2019
Absolutely amazing for train lovers
Want to read
November 8, 2022this book is definitely awesome
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2023
Great book of high quality images along with well researched facts about historical railroad information.
October 2, 2014
What a fabulous surprise! Even better, brighter, bolder, bigger (yes, I noticed the dimensions in the product listing) than I'd anticipated, Smithsonian Train: The Definitive Visual History is visually delightful, informative, and inspiring.
From the embossed cover portrait of Southern Railway Locomotive 1401, to the detailed table of contents that lets you choose what to read about and learn about next, to the sumptuous feast of full colour photographs throughout, this has got to be one of the best books ever about any topic!
Although there's an extremely high ratio of images to text, histories and descriptions don't ramble, but tell you what you want to know. I especially love the final feature, How Railroads Work, Engines and Tracks (Signals, Wheels, Locomotives, etc.).
Like many people, I have some history with riding the rails: a couple of fairly long trips in the continental USA as a young kid, later as a teenager, then as a young adult; a few dozen or more Budd SPV-2000 - "Buddlliner" - jaunts to and from Boston and the North Shore of Boston; the almost impossibly efficient, on time EuroRail; and more recently the AmTrak. I remember returning to Salt Lake City from Southern Idaho Sunday evenings with a long freight train riding alongside the highway on our right and to the west; I can't count the times I waited at a RR crossing when I lived in Utah; who hasn't experienced with their entire being a train whistle piercing the night sky in small town rural, big city urban USA? My grandfather had planned to finish high school and then college, but got a job with the railway, at that time considered the future of the country, and never gave school another thought.
Train is heavy to hold (both a lap book and a coffee table one), and very well bound. If you can describe a book as "Heirloom Quality," this one is for sure.
From the embossed cover portrait of Southern Railway Locomotive 1401, to the detailed table of contents that lets you choose what to read about and learn about next, to the sumptuous feast of full colour photographs throughout, this has got to be one of the best books ever about any topic!
Although there's an extremely high ratio of images to text, histories and descriptions don't ramble, but tell you what you want to know. I especially love the final feature, How Railroads Work, Engines and Tracks (Signals, Wheels, Locomotives, etc.).
Like many people, I have some history with riding the rails: a couple of fairly long trips in the continental USA as a young kid, later as a teenager, then as a young adult; a few dozen or more Budd SPV-2000 - "Buddlliner" - jaunts to and from Boston and the North Shore of Boston; the almost impossibly efficient, on time EuroRail; and more recently the AmTrak. I remember returning to Salt Lake City from Southern Idaho Sunday evenings with a long freight train riding alongside the highway on our right and to the west; I can't count the times I waited at a RR crossing when I lived in Utah; who hasn't experienced with their entire being a train whistle piercing the night sky in small town rural, big city urban USA? My grandfather had planned to finish high school and then college, but got a job with the railway, at that time considered the future of the country, and never gave school another thought.
Train is heavy to hold (both a lap book and a coffee table one), and very well bound. If you can describe a book as "Heirloom Quality," this one is for sure.
October 13, 2014
Another DK Gem …
This book was reviewed as part of Amazon's Vine program which included a free advance copy of the book.
I own several DK books that cover a variety of subjects. While I generally love the heavy graphic presentation DK books offer, those books that are labeled as being affiliated with the Smithsonian are simply the best of the bunch … TRAIN: THE DEFINITIVE VISUAL HISTORY is no exception.
One does not need to be an avid fan of trains to appreciate this book’s treasure trove of historical information and stunning eye-candy. As with other Smithsonian volumes, TRAIN: THE DEFINITIVE VISUAL HISTORY is presented chronologically with every single page brimming with interesting and immensely detailed factoids, informational insets and beautiful, vivid photos lighting everything up. I cannot say enough about the photos, including several montages of a variety of locomotives and/or cars that include up-close images revealing intricate details. The book is organized extremely well with the trademark final pages providing the trademark general information that educates readers on a variety of train-related subject matters such as signals, tracks, etc.
300+ glossy pages in this oversized volume serves as an authoritative reference on anything/everything train-related or a terrific book to simply sit back, relax and flip through with a cup of coffee. With school-aged children in our house, this is yet another quality DK addition to the family/personal library. I look forward to the next subject matter DK/Smithsonian plans to tackle.
This book was reviewed as part of Amazon's Vine program which included a free advance copy of the book.
I own several DK books that cover a variety of subjects. While I generally love the heavy graphic presentation DK books offer, those books that are labeled as being affiliated with the Smithsonian are simply the best of the bunch … TRAIN: THE DEFINITIVE VISUAL HISTORY is no exception.
One does not need to be an avid fan of trains to appreciate this book’s treasure trove of historical information and stunning eye-candy. As with other Smithsonian volumes, TRAIN: THE DEFINITIVE VISUAL HISTORY is presented chronologically with every single page brimming with interesting and immensely detailed factoids, informational insets and beautiful, vivid photos lighting everything up. I cannot say enough about the photos, including several montages of a variety of locomotives and/or cars that include up-close images revealing intricate details. The book is organized extremely well with the trademark final pages providing the trademark general information that educates readers on a variety of train-related subject matters such as signals, tracks, etc.
300+ glossy pages in this oversized volume serves as an authoritative reference on anything/everything train-related or a terrific book to simply sit back, relax and flip through with a cup of coffee. With school-aged children in our house, this is yet another quality DK addition to the family/personal library. I look forward to the next subject matter DK/Smithsonian plans to tackle.
January 9, 2017
Fantastic book, lots of pictures with just enough writing and stats for each locomotive shown.
Included also, write ups about Trans-Continental railways, key moments and aspects of railway history and in depth profiles with detailed close up photographs.
I love these type of books, lots of pictures, just enough information given, certainly pings your interest without bogging you down with too much.
Included also, write ups about Trans-Continental railways, key moments and aspects of railway history and in depth profiles with detailed close up photographs.
I love these type of books, lots of pictures, just enough information given, certainly pings your interest without bogging you down with too much.
September 1, 2015
This lavishly illustrated book might be a necessity for anyone who loves trains. I didn't read everything in it but focused on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, the Orient express, the Blue Train in South Africa, the Trans Australian Railroad, and of course the information about the Reading Railroad which I witnessed a multitude of times while I was growing up and even as a young man.
October 24, 2018
You do not have to be a train enthusiast to enjoy this book.
I am reading about the Industrial Revolution and the first industrial tycoons so this book helped me to visualize and 'feel' the context of that time.
I am reading about the Industrial Revolution and the first industrial tycoons so this book helped me to visualize and 'feel' the context of that time.
November 13, 2015
A lavishly illustrated coffee table picture book that summarizes the history of worldwide railroads, with particular focus on locomotives. Not deep, but large and gorgeous.
September 9, 2016
Amazingly detailed and insightful history of the train - focused mostly on locomotives, but also exploring famous rail lines like the Orient Express or The Blue Train.
September 9, 2025
1981 TGV Sud-Est :)
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews