Blood, Iron, and Gold: How the Railroads Transformed the World

by Christian Wolmar

Overview

The opening of the world's first railroad in Britain and America in 1830 marked the dawn of a new age. Within the course of a decade, tracks were being laid as far afield as Australia and Cuba, and by the outbreak of World War I, the United States alone boasted over a quarter of a million miles. With unrelenting determination, architectural innovation, and under gruesome labor conditions, a global railroad network was built that forever changed the way people lived. From Panama to Punjab, from Tasmania to Turin, Christian Wolmar shows how cultures were enriched, and destroyed, by one of the greatest global transport revolutions of our time, and celebrates the visionaries and laborers responsible for its creation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781586489496
Publisher:	PublicAffairs
Publication date:	03/01/2011
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Christian Wolmar is a writer and broadcaster, specializing in transportation matters. He has written for major British newspapers for many years and has contributed to many other publications, including the New York Times and Newsday. His most recent books are Blood, Iron, and Gold; Engines of War; and The Great Railroad Revolution. He lives in London.

Table of Contents

List of Maps and Illustrations ix

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xix

Maps xx

1 The First Railways 1

2 Europe Makes a Start 17

3 The British Influence 45

4 The American Way 69

5 Joining Up Europe 99

6 Crossing America... 129

7 ... and Other Continents 159

8 The Invasion of the Railway 191

9 The Railway Revolution 219

10 Getting Better All the Time 247

11 Changing Trains 273

12 Decline But Not Fall 297

13 Railway Renaissance 319

Notes 337

Bibliography 355

Index 361

Editorial Reviews

CHOICE Magazine, January 2011
“The book is gracefully written, incorporates leading secondary sources, and includes intelligently selected illustrations….Highly recommended.”

From the Publisher