Image: Lonely Planet · source
Lonely Planet · Mid-range
Lonely Planet's large-format hardback gathers 200 train journeys from around the world, 50 of them told as first-person stories and 150 offered as further suggestions.
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The publisher says it covers routes as different as the Eastern and Oriental Express in southeast Asia, Canada's Rocky Mountaineer, high-speed services in Japan and Switzerland's Glacier Express. Beyond those headline names the featured list includes the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Death Railway in Thailand, the Alishan Forest line in Taiwan, the Bernina Express, the Indian Pacific and Kuranda Scenic in Australia. The publisher's list of featured journeys also names, continent by continent, the Blue Train in South Africa, Cairo to Luxor in Egypt and Nairobi to Mombasa in Kenya for Africa; the Hiram Bingham in Peru, the Sunset Limited in the US and the Yukon and White Star in Canada for the Americas; the Douro in Portugal and Milan to Rome in Italy for Europe; and the Trans-Alpine in New Zealand for Oceania. Lonely Planet's overview describes the routes as a mix of popular and lesser-known railway routes, with maps and beautiful photography meant to inspire your next trip. The longer description adds that the book offers page after page of inspiring green getaways. That description calls the Eastern and Oriental Express a luxury service, the Rocky Mountaineer a scenic line and the Glacier Express iconic.
The hardback measures 7.87 by 10.24 inches and runs to 320 pages. According to the publisher each route has a map, photography and a factbox meant to help with planning. The routes are sorted into three categories, Everyday, Luxury and Epic. The stories are written by experienced train travellers, with Oliver Smith, Monisha Rajesh and Shafik Meghji named by the publisher. The publisher describes the hardback cover as beautiful and vibrant, the work of New Zealand illustrator Ross Murray. Lonely Planet's page also offers the title as an eBook and as a book-and-eBook bundle alongside the hardback.
Strengths
Weaknesses
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| ISBN | 9781837586141 |
| Size | 7.87 x 10.24 in |
| Format | Hardback |
| Edition | 1st |
| Contents | 50 first-person stories and 150 further suggestions |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Lonely Planet |
| Print length | 320 pages |
Adults who like the idea of long train journeys and want a source of ideas for the next one, and families looking for a gift for a railfan who travels. The publisher itself calls it a gift or self-purchase for railfans and anyone who loves to travel along the tracks. The publisher presents it as a continuation of its collectible Lonely Planet Epic series. The publisher describes the 50 stories as coming from seasoned train travellers, and the book as a thrilling exploration of the world's greatest railway journeys.
National Geographic's 100 Train Journeys covers a similar idea with fewer routes. For scenic routes in particular, Trains: World's Most Scenic Routes is a narrower alternative.
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: Charlesbridge · source
Charlesbridge · Budget
Alphabet Trains is a 32-page rhyming picture book by Samantha R. Vamos, illustrated by Ryan O'Rourke, that gives each letter from A to Z its own train, from familiar types to unusual ones, with factual notes on every train at the back.
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.
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