Release year: 2010
Pages: 424
Publisher: Atlantic Books
ISBN: 1848871716
Softback | Hardback | Online
What people are saying..
“Christian Wolmar has long been known as the best-informed expert and deadliest critic of Britain’s farcically ill-run railway system. Now, in Blood, Iron and Gold: How the Railways Transformed the World (Atlantic, £25), he reveals some of the passions behind all that, and his immense knowledge of how the iron horse has shaped world history since its first invention.“
- Independent, Stephen Howe
Blood, Iron and Gold” is the rather confusing title of railway historian Christian Wolmar’s latest book; however, the sub-title “how the railways transformed the world” tells all. It chronicles the development of railways across the globe, from Asia to Australia, North, South and Central America, Russia and Europe. Wolmar manages to pack in an enormous amount of material without ever resorting to a simple but boring list of railway openings. As one example, the story of the Trans-Siberian Railway gives a fascinating insight into its social and military implications. This is a book that will equally appeal to the social historian and geographer, as well as the railway enthusiast. Highly recommended.
- Globe Trotter
Christian Wolmar’s book is as much a social and political history of the railways as it is the story – and a very readable one – of how they were built. The eclipse of the railways by motor cars in the second half of the twentieth century has obscured the extent to which railways changed the world.
In some parts of the world, Europe, for instance, they linked the cities and towns and drove trade to previously unheard of heights. In other parts of the world, and the USA is only the most obvious example, they were instrumental in creating a unified nation. In addition, railways have their own dark side. The two World Wars would have been unthinkable without the railway’s ability to move men and munitions rapidly between battlefronts.
The book is a fascinating read peppered with heroes, villains and interesting stories about the rise and fall of the railways. You don’t have to be a trainspotting geek to enjoy this book, just an interest in how the past – and present – were shaped by one particular piece of technology at a particular time. All in all, a thundering good read by an author with a real passion for his subject!
- Alan Tenton
The opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830 marked the beginning of a revolution in transportation. Blood, Iron and Gold reveal 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 outlines 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.
What people are saying..
“Christian Wolmar has long been known as the best-informed expert and deadliest critic of Britain’s farcically ill-run railway system. Now, in Blood, Iron and Gold: How the Railways Transformed the World (Atlantic, £25), he reveals some of the passions behind all that, and his immense knowledge of how the iron horse has shaped world history since its first invention.“
- Independent, Stephen Howe
Blood, Iron and Gold” is the rather confusing title of railway historian Christian Wolmar’s latest book; however, the sub-title “how the railways transformed the world” tells all. It chronicles the development of railways across the globe, from Asia to Australia, North, South and Central America, Russia and Europe. Wolmar manages to pack in an enormous amount of material without ever resorting to a simple but boring list of railway openings. As one example, the story of the Trans-Siberian Railway gives a fascinating insight into its social and military implications. This is a book that will equally appeal to the social historian and geographer, as well as the railway enthusiast. Highly recommended.
- Globe Trotter
Christian Wolmar’s book is as much a social and political history of the railways as it is the story – and a very readable one – of how they were built. The eclipse of the railways by motor cars in the second half of the twentieth century has obscured the extent to which railways changed the world.
In some parts of the world, Europe, for instance, they linked the cities and towns and drove trade to previously unheard of heights. In other parts of the world, and the USA is only the most obvious example, they were instrumental in creating a unified nation. In addition, railways have their own dark side. The two World Wars would have been unthinkable without the railway’s ability to move men and munitions rapidly between battlefronts.
The book is a fascinating read peppered with heroes, villains and interesting stories about the rise and fall of the railways. You don’t have to be a trainspotting geek to enjoy this book, just an interest in how the past – and present – were shaped by one particular piece of technology at a particular time. All in all, a thundering good read by an author with a real passion for his subject!
- Alan Tenton