{"title":"Christian Wolmar","description":"\u003cp\u003eChristian Wolmar offers a compelling exploration of Britain’s railways and their profound impact on society. His works blend historical insight with vivid storytelling, tracing the evolution of rail travel from its earliest days to the present, and capturing the drama and innovation that shaped the industry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders drawn to \u003cem\u003eTravel \u0026amp; Adventure\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Military\u003c\/em\u003e alike will find his books rich with detail and perspective, illuminating not only the technical feats but also the broader cultural and historical significance of railways around the world.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-rise-of-the-railway-by-christian-wolmar-9780241745113","title":"The Rise of the Railway","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA first-class journey through the history of railways\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the first steam trains to the high-speed bullet trains of today, \u003cem\u003eThe Rise of the Railway\u003c\/em\u003e tells the hidden stories of railway history - the inspired engineering, technical ingenuity, and sheer determination that forged the world's railways.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAward-winning writer and broadcaster Christian Wolmar reveals how the railways were built not just on bold vision and technical expertise, but also on wild gambles and trial and error - and how the new era of trains brought about sweeping changes in the lives of people around the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis book details the lives and work of railway pioneers such as George Stephenson and John Stevens, and it explores and maps famous railways such as the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Orient Express.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKey technological innovations are explained with in-depth illustrations, while stunning photographs and paintings bring railway history to life on the page. Gripping eyewitness accounts describe the railways of the past through the eyes of people who were there.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePacked with colourful stories, technical insights, and beautiful images, \u003cem\u003eThe Rise of the Railway\u003c\/em\u003e is the ultimate ride along the rails of history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46549300936940,"sku":"9780241745113","price":75.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780241745113.jpg?v=1750029422"},{"product_id":"fire-and-steam-by-christian-wolmar-9781805462699","title":"Fire and Steam","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA new and updated edition of the classic history of the British railway, published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of train travel in 2025.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe opening of the pioneering Stockton and Darlington railway, the world's first passenger line, in 1825 marked the beginning of the railways' vital role in changing the face of Britain. \u003cem\u003eFire and Steam\u003c\/em\u003e celebrates the vision and determination of the ambitious Victorian pioneers who developed this revolutionary transport system and the navvies who cut through the land to enable a country-wide network to emerge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the early days of steam to electrification, via the railways' magnificent contribution in two world wars, the chequered history of British Rail and the disaster of privatization, \u003cem\u003eFire and Steam\u003c\/em\u003e examines the social and economic importance of the railway and how it helped form the Britain of today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House Distribution","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46849115783404,"sku":"9781805462699","price":59.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/22641293482830.jpg?v=1759019441"},{"product_id":"the-liberation-line-by-christian-wolmar-9781805462705","title":"The Liberation Line","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHighly original\u003c\/em\u003e Simon Heffer, Telegraph\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMasterful... A gripping tale\u003c\/em\u003e Giles Milton\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThey certainly were not soldiers, yet they suddenly found themselves in uniform, in a foreign land. But, as locomotive drivers, track-workers, conductors, porters, signalmen and engine cleaners, they knew how to run trains. And their job was to bring them back to life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Liberation Line\u003c\/em\u003e tells the thrilling story of the British and American railway engineers who, in the months after D-Day, worked around the clock and in great danger to rebuild the ravaged railways of Europe and keep the Allied forces fuelled as they pushed on into Germany.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs territory was taken, these soldier-railroaders were close behind, rebuilding the lines, putting up telegraph wires, replacing bridges and laying track, all the while dodging bullets, shells and booby traps.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTales of extraordinary feats and heroism abound, including how 10,000 men rebuilt a 135-mile-long railway in just three days; the reconstruction of the bridge over the Seine in two weeks while under bombardment; and the use of cigarette lighters as improvised signalling systems.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDespite being critical to Allied victory, the role of the railwaymen has been largely forgotten or ignored. In a vivid and gripping narrative, Christian Wolmar brings to life this colourful cast of generals and engineers, without whose extraordinary bravery the liberation of France and invasion of Germany might well have foundered - and the course of history changed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House Distribution","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46850327183596,"sku":"9781805462705","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/22641353482830.jpg?v=1759081642"},{"product_id":"to-the-edge-of-the-world-by-christian-wolmar-9780857890382","title":"To the Edge of the World","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChristian Wolmar expertly tells the story of the Trans-Siberian railway from its conception and construction under Tsar Alexander III, to the northern extension ordered by Brezhnev and its current success as a vital artery. He also explores the crucial role the line played in both the Russian Civil War—Trotsky famously used an armoured carriage as his command post—and the Second World War, during which the railway saved the country from certain defeat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLike the author's previous railway histories, it focuses on the personalities, as well as the political and economic events, that lay behind one of the most extraordinary engineering triumphs of the nineteenth century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46851776807148,"sku":"9780857890382","price":45.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/11829353482493.jpg?v=1759126549"},{"product_id":"the-liberation-line-by-christian-wolmar-9781838957544","title":"The Liberation Line","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHighly original\u003c\/em\u003e Simon Heffer, Telegraph\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMasterful... A gripping tale\u003c\/em\u003e Giles Milton\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThey certainly were not soldiers, yet they suddenly found themselves in uniform, in a foreign land. But, as locomotive drivers, track-workers, conductors, porters, signalmen, and engine cleaners, they knew how to run trains. And their job was to bring them back to life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Liberation Line\u003c\/em\u003e tells the thrilling story of the British and American railway engineers who, in the months after D-Day, worked around the clock and in great danger to rebuild the ravaged railways of Europe and keep the Allied forces fuelled as they pushed on into Germany. As territory was taken, these soldier-railroaders were close behind, rebuilding the lines, putting up telegraph wires, replacing bridges, and laying track, all the while dodging bullets, shells, and booby traps.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTales of extraordinary feats and heroism abound, including how 10,000 men rebuilt a 135-mile-long railway in just three days; the reconstruction of the bridge over the Seine in two weeks while under bombardment; and the use of cigarette lighters as improvised signalling systems.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDespite being critical to Allied victory, the role of the railwaymen has been largely forgotten or ignored. In a vivid and gripping narrative, Christian Wolmar brings to life this colourful cast of generals and engineers, without whose extraordinary bravery the liberation of France and invasion of Germany might well have foundered—and the course of history changed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47071851610348,"sku":"9781838957544","price":32.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/20560263482842.jpg?v=1765056047"},{"product_id":"british-rail-by-christian-wolmar-9781405946278","title":"British Rail","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rise and fall of the state-owned British Rail, from \u003cem\u003e\"the greatest expert on British trains\"\u003c\/em\u003e Christian Wolmar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYou think you know British Rail.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStale sandwiches, inefficiency, and violent yellow carriages— we haven't looked kindly on the last of our state-owned organisations to be privatised.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut through its 50-year lifetime, British Rail transformed our transport system, and for a time provided one of the fastest regular rail services in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBorn into postwar austerity, impoverished, and exploited by a hostile press, British Rail became a punchline, dismissed and swept away by Conservative government.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNow, Christian Wolmar provides a new perspective on public loss in a time of privatisation. \u003cem\u003eBritish Rail\u003c\/em\u003e is ripe for a new history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47072145801452,"sku":"9781405946278","price":32.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/15659263482688.jpg?v=1765081462"},{"product_id":"fast-track-by-christian-wolmar-9780241775516","title":"Fast Track","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFast Track\u003c\/em\u003e provides a global history of high-speed rail from the railways' \"wisest, most detailed historian\" (The Observer).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSleek, comfortable, accessible, and sustainable, high-speed rail is the future. Japan's Bullet Train has become a global icon. The French TGV established a template that soon followed across Europe. However, China has become the world leader. With lines built or planned in over twenty countries, high-speed rail has changed the world and, faced with the environmental cost of cars and air travel, might help save it. Yet, two pioneering railway countries—the US and UK—have been left behind in the race.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eChristian Wolmar, our leading railway writer, explores the irresistible global rise of high-speed rail, a story of big personalities, bold decisions, cutting-edge technology, and soaring ambition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47976661090540,"sku":"9780241775516","price":85.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780241775516-fast-track.jpg?v=1784695165"},{"product_id":"railways-by-christian-wolmar-9781788549851","title":"Railways","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom Britain's most popular railway historian, a concise, authoritative and fast-paced telling of how the railways changed the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe arrival of the railways in the first half of the nineteenth century and their subsequent spread across every one of the world's continents acted as a spur for economic growth and social change on an extraordinary scale. The 'iron road' stimulated innovation in engineering and architecture, enabled people and goods to move around the world more quickly than ever before, and played a critical role in warfare as well as in the social and economic spheres.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eChristian Wolmar describes the emergence of modern railways in both Britain and the USA in the 1830s, and elsewhere in the following decade. He charts the surge in railway investment plans in Britain in the early 1840s and the ensuing 'railway mania' (which created the backbone of today's railway network), and the unstoppable spread of the railways across Europe, America and Asia. Above all, he assesses the global impact of a technology that, arguably, had the most transformative impact on human society of any before the coming of the Internet, and which, as it approaches two centuries of existence, continues to play a key role in human society in the twenty-first century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"A lucid and engaging account of the far-reaching effects that trains have had upon society\"\u003c\/em\u003e – \u003cstrong\u003eThe Railway \u0026amp; Canal Historical Society\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48010605756652,"sku":"9781788549851","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781788549851-railways.jpg?v=1785153777"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/christian-wolmar.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}