Image: PublicAffairs / Hachette Book Group · source
PublicAffairs · Mid-range
Christian Wolmar's trade paperback recounts the origins and history of the Trans-Siberian railroad, the line that runs from Moscow to Vladivostok, in 320 pages.
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The publisher describes a line of almost 6,000 miles and seven time zones, and calls it the world's longest train route. For a railfan, the book supplies the story behind that distance: the page says the line took a decade to build in the face of punishing climates, rampant disease, scarcity of funds and materials, and widespread corruption. It also credits the line with the founding of cities in a region once inhabited only by disparate tribes and by convicts in labor camps, and quotes the author calling it "the best thing that ever happened to Siberia." The description does not stay on the construction. It links the railroad to the war between Russia and Japan, to the Russian Revolution and the civil war that followed, and to the Second World War, when, according to the page, additional routes allowed whole industries to be sent east. A reader interested in how one railway shaped a country's politics will find that scope on the publisher's own description.
This is a book for the armchair, the long journey or the days before a trip, not a lineside guide. The publisher presents it as history and adventure in travel, so it will not give timetables, station facilities or photo locations. A practical use is as preparation for riding or following the route: the description names Moscow and Vladivostok as the two ends, so a traveler can place those cities in the larger story before leaving. At 320 pages in paperback it is shorter than the two other Wolmar paperbacks in this catalog, which makes it a manageable single read.
Strengths
Weaknesses
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Pages | 320 |
| Author | Christian Wolmar |
| Format | Trade paperback |
| ISBN-10 | 1610396367 |
| ISBN-13 | 9781610396363 |
| On sale | Apr 5, 2016 |
| Subtitle | The Story of the Trans-Siberian Express, the World's Greatest Railroad |
| Publisher | PublicAffairs (Hachette Book Group) |
Adult railfans and gift givers drawn to long-distance rail travel and Russian history who want an account of one famous line. Readers who prefer a worldwide survey should look at the alternatives below. The listing here is the paperback edition, not the hardcover or the ebook, which are different formats.
Blood, Iron, and Gold by the same author, already in this catalog, covers railroads across several continents instead of one route; the publisher page for that title names Panama, Punjab, Tasmania and Turin. The Great Railroad Revolution, also by Wolmar and also in this catalog, narrows the focus to the United States. For a narrative that moves between routes, Train by Tom Zoellner is another option.
Image: National Geographic (Penguin Random House) · source
National Geographic · Mid-range
A National Geographic hardcover that profiles 100 railway journeys around the world, with notes on when and where to go, which cabins to book and what to see off the train.
Image: Lorenz Books / Simon & Schuster · source
Lorenz Books · Mid-range
A hardcover guide to the golden age of train engines by Colin Garratt, with 700 photographs covering the first designs to modern high-speed trains.
Image: PublicAffairs / Hachette Book Group · source
PublicAffairs · Mid-range
Christian Wolmar's trade paperback traces how railroads spread from Britain and America across the globe, in 432 pages.
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Compare all railway books.
