Books by Christian Wolmar

The epic story of the world's longest and greatest railway, as told by Britain's bestselling transport historian.

A concise, authoritative and fast-paced telling of how the railways changed the world.

Pre-order the authoritative and enthralling history of of the rise and fall of the state-owned British Rail. You think you know British Rail.From the sandwiches to the inefficiency to the violent yellow livery, we haven't looked kindly on this, the last of our great state-owned organizations to be privatized.But you don't know the whole story. From its creation after the Second World War, through its fifty-year lifetime, British Rail was an innovative powerhouse that transformed our transport system, uniting disparate lines into a highly competent organization - heralding 'The Age of the Train' and for a time providing one of the fastest regular rail services in the world.Born into post-war austerity, traumatized, impoverished and exploited by a hostile press, the state-owned railway was dismissed as a dinosaur unable to evolve, and swept away by a government hellbent on selling it off.Now, award-winning writer Christian Wolmar provides a new perspective on national loss in a time of privatization. British Rail is ripe for a new history.Praise for Christian WolmarThe greatest expert on British trains' - The Guardian'Our most eminent transport journalist' - The Spectator'If the world's railways have a laureate, it is surely Christian Wolmar' - Boston Globe'Christian Wolmar is in love with the railways. He writes constantly and passionately about them. He is their wisest, most detailed historian and a constant prophet of their rebirth . . . if you love the hum of the wheels and of history, then Christian Wolmar is your man' - Observer

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.

The epic story of London's major railway stations, by Britain's bestselling transport historian.

The story of an engineering marvel of the modern age, from Britain's leading writer on the railways and their history.

The epic story of the British construction of the railways in India, as told by Britain's bestselling transport historian.

Transport is key to our daily lives. The transport system is essential to ensure the movement of people and goods, and most of us will use the roads or public transport every day. Vast sums are tied up in it and are spent on trying to resolve the problems of congestion and delays. And yet it is a most neglected field of politics. Britain has never had a coherent transport policy. Transport ministers are regarded as minnows compared with their 'big beast' colleagues in other ministries. Successive governments have barely attempted to get to grips with the challenge of getting people around efficiently and safely while limiting the environmental damage caused by transport. In this entertaining polemic, Christian Wolmar, an author and journalist who has written about transport for over two decades, explains why politicians have not addressed the crucial issue of balancing transport needs with environmental considerations. Instead, they have been seduced by the popularity of the car and pressure from the car lobby, and they have been sidetracked by dogma. Solutions are at hand - and successful examples can be seen elsewhere in Europe - but courage and clear thinking are needed if they are to be implemented.

The first new and comprehensive narrative history of the American railroads in a generation. 'Shrewd, articulate and incredibly well-informed' - Miranda Seymour, Daily Telegraph

A Christmas paperback with tremendous sales potential. Engines of War tells the dramatic story of how the birth of the railways shaped how wars were fought and won, facilitating conflict on a previously unimaginable scale.

Since the Victorian era, London's Underground has had played a vital role in the daily life of generations of Londoners. In The Subterranean Railway, Christian Wolmar celebrates the vision and determination of the nineteenth-century pioneers who made the world's first, and still the largest, underground passenger railway: one of the most impressive engineering achievements in history. From the early days of steam to electrification, via the Underground's contribution to twentieth-century industrial design and its role during two world wars, the story comes right up to the present with its sleek, driverless trains and the wrangles over the future of the system. The Subterranean Railway reveals London's hidden wonder in all its glory and shows how the railway beneath the streets helped create the city we know today.

Christian Wolmar's biggest paperback yet. Blood, Iron and Gold tells the dramatic story of the people and events that shaped the world's railways and how the railways changed the world. 'Full of wondrous curiosities... This authoritative and highly readable book will remain the definitive history for years to come.' Michael Williams, Daily Telegraph

Now in paperback, Fire and Steam tells the dramatic story of the people and events that shaped the world's first railway network, one of the most impressive engineering achievements in history: 'Christian Wolmar brings the era of railway mania alive: both the imagination and the daring that made it possible.' David Dimbleby