Product Description

This is a Christmas hardback with tremendous sales potential. "Blood, Iron and Gold" tells the dramatic story of the people and events that shaped the world's railways, stimulating economic growth and social change on an unprecedented scale. The opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830 marked the beginning of a revolution in transportation. "Blood, Iron and Gold" reveals the huge impact of the railways as they spread rapidly across the world, linking cities that had hitherto been isolated, stimulating both economic growth and social change on an unprecedented scale. From Panama to the Punjab, Tasmania to Turin, Christian Wolmar describes the vision and determination of the pioneers who developed railways that would one day span continents, as well as the labour of the navvies who endured horrific conditions to build this global network. Wolmar shows how the rise of the train stimulated daring feats of engineering, architectural innovation and the rapid movement of people and goods around the world. He shows how cultures were enriched - and destroyed - by the unrelenting construction and how they had a vital role in civil conflict, as well as in two world wars. Indeed, "Blood, Iron and Gold" reveals that the global expansion of the railways was key to the spread of modernity and the making of the modern world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #207 in Books
• Published on: 2009-10-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 400 pages

Review
'This authoritative and highly readable book will remain the definitive history for years to come.' --Michael Williams, Daily Telegraph

'Timely... A superb new history of the world's railways... In one brilliantly written volume Wolmar relates the story of the first global rail revolution' --Andrew Adonis, Financial Times

`Wolmar brings great energy to the task of explaining how the railways transformed the world.'
-- New Statesman

About the Author
Christian Wolmar is a writer and broadcaster, principally on transport matters. He writes regularly for a wide variety of publications including the Independent, Evening Standard and Rail magazine, and appears frequently on TV and radio as a commentator. His previous books include the widely-acclaimed The Subterranean Railway, a history of the London underground and Fire and Steam, a history of how the railways transformed Britain.

Customer Reviews

A Very Good General History of the Railways of the World
As one might expect from Christian Wolmar this is a very good book packed with fascinating detail. Wolmar charts the growth of railways in all parts of the world. The pioneering position of Britain and the dominant role that we played in terms of providing engineering expertise and, perhaps more surprisingly, private finance is well related. (Of course, this dominant position was subsequently lost to America and then France and Japan.) Chapters are dedicated to different aspects of railway growth; the building of European lines and the mighty projects of crossing America, Canada and the other continents. Further sections deal with the different motivations for railway investment; private and government sponsored, the effect of railway expansion upon society and trade, the use of railways in wartime, and finally, the decline of railways and subsequent recent resurgence with investment in high-speed lines. Wolmar is at his best when drawing together the general reasons for railway investment and the general effects upon people and their way of life. Some of the early chapters on the growth of the railway system can be rather overwhelming with a dazzling array of data, but perhaps this is the nature of the beast and a minor quibble. As with Wolmar's earlier, 'Fire and Steam' this is a good history book and is not an 'anorak' book or coffee-table picture book. This excellent read will undoubtedly be of interest to general readers and railway enthusiasts alike.

Wolmar goes global
Christian Wolmar must be one of the most knowledgeable authors on railways writing today, and with this volume he has excelled himself. Anyone who enjoyed "Fire & Steam" - Wolmar's lively history of the railways in Britain - will be delighted that he has finally gone global, looking at how railways affected (and continue to impact) just about every country where they were built in the world.

The book is extremely readable and amazingly comprehensive - in spite of the author's apology that it isn't. Of course there are omissions (my own favourite line to Sóller in Mallorca isn't mentioned, for example). But it's a must for every railway buff and should also enthuse anyone interested in the industrial and social history of the last 150 years.

With signs of a potential renaissance for this mode of transport, Christian Wolmar should have plenty to write about in the future.

Blood Iron & Gold
I have written it already 10 minutes ago BUT as is quite common Amazon has 'eaten' it and I can't retrieve it from your sustem.

Irving Scott.