This book has gone through several, rather different, editions: I have the 1986 3rd edition, which presents a slightly uneasy compromise in format between coffee-table book and serious academic history. As you would expect from Professor Simmons, the text is intelligent, well-argued, and supported by a useful bibliography and references. A concise but comprehensive sketch of British railway history up to 1985 is followed by essays on particular topics (buildings, motive power, people, etc.) and a few case-studies, each presenting a journey along a particular route and putting what the modern (i.e. 1985) traveller sees into an historical context. It's a book that's quite fun to dip into, but it doesn't really serve any obvious purpose: too serious (and not glossy enough) for the coffee table, too superficial for anyone really interested in the subject. While there are plenty of illustrations, some of them in colour, the quality of the paper and printing in this edition doesn't do them justice. The binding on my copy is also looking a bit dodgy, with a number of pages held in only by willpower. Probably the sort of book that other people buy you as a present. ( )