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Writing the Rails: Train Adventures By the World's Best-Loved Writers
 
 
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Writing the Rails: Train Adventures By the World's Best-Loved Writers [Hardcover]

Edward C. Goodman (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)


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Book Description

October 1, 2001
Rich and inviting, this collection of 101 train travel stories, both fact and fiction, by renowned writers from around the world and throughout history, is a feast for the armchair vagabond.

The stories, essays, historic accounts, poetry, songs and other pieces that comprise this impressive anthology have been carefully selected from the widest range of sources to reflect the glories of travel by rail, from the Orient Express to the New York City subway. So many of the world's great writers have celebrated train travel, and here they are in one collection-Mary McCarthy on the Italian railways; Paul Theroux on the old Patagonia Express; Lewis Carroll from Through the Looking Glass; F. Scott Fitzgerald from Tender Is the Night; Ian Fleming, Walt Whitman, Carl Sandburg, Langston Hughes, Rudyard Kipling-by turns funny, exciting and moving, and a joy to read throughout.

Whether your true love is travel, great literature or trains, you'll get lost in this eclectic and exotic compilation that extends to all parts of the globe and deep into the imaginations of our finest writers.


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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers (October 1, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1579122051
  • ISBN-13: 978-1579122058
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 8 x 1.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,335,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Can you hear that lonesome whistle?, November 10, 2004
This review is from: Writing the Rails: Train Adventures By the World's Best-Loved Writers (Hardcover)
I found this a very good book, even though I skipped through several selections.First of all,this is not a book about the lore of Railroading.If it were, it would have been about the people who operated and serviced these wonderful trains.I knew many Railroaders and their jobs were much more than a job,it was a passion with them.My father was a Railroader and I grew up listening to all the stories about storms,accidents,breakdowns,late arrivals,special customers,hobo's, union strikes,and on and on.I can remember during WW11,the troop trains going through my town with all the windows covered.I also remember the company rounding up all available men to take "down the line" to help dig out by shovel the train stuck in a 20 foot deep cutting filled with snow.I made dozens of trips by rail in Nova Scotia;but none compared with the three return trips I made from NS to British Columbia ;particularly in the dome car.This book relates experiences these writers had in travelling by rail and while reading them;many similar memories were brought back to me.
About the time I was finishing High School,my father asked me what I would like to do.Living in a small Railway town ;two "high tech" jobs were Dispatcher (Morse Code and all) and the Watchmaker who checked and repaired the Railroader's watches.My Dad said I should give it a little more thought.One day the watches won't need repairs and one day Morse Code will be replaced.Little did he know that not only are those jobs gone;but so is the Railway,trains,tracks,stations and people now say my town "used to be a railway town."
Overall this book has a large variety of stories ,by many well known writers and thoroughly enjoyable.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating Ride into Yesteryear, November 4, 2009
This absorbing anthology takes us back to a simpler time when trains united both nations and continents, influencing cultures as no other form of transportation had done before, bringing our forebears into the modern era. This is a surprising book with many twists and turns -- much like the railway lines themselves. What starts as a pleasant journey of delicate sunset hues and the hypnotic rumbling of the wheels suddenly turns tragic as the train derails. Five passenger cars lie contorted and maimed as incarcerated passengers scream in terror. Magical excursions take place on obscure wilderness tracks, winding their way through picturesque mountains and valleys and deserts, rich with wildflowers and coyote-song. A surrealistic ride across the Trans-Caspian Railway captures our imagination in all its spectral gloom and esoteric desolation. The history of the New York subway comes alive with mind-boggling logistics of constructing vast tunnels under what was, even then, a large bustling city. Writing the Rails is a must-read for railroad aficionados, history buffs, and those who enjoy the charm of days gone by. Mr. Goodman should be commended for this fine work, as he has done a remarkable job in assembling this superb compilation.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Total satisfaction!, January 9, 2012
By 
Vivian King (ROCHESTER, NY, US) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Writing the Rails: Train Adventures By the World's Best-Loved Writers (Hardcover)
The book arrived in excellent condition and in just a couple days. My grandson by marriage was very pleased with it as he is a railroad fan.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
The stories, essays, poetry and other pieces that make up this anthology have been carefully selected to reflect the multifarious glories of travel by rail, from the Orient Express to the New York City subway. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Gonzague Gagnon, San Francisco, South Africa, New Orleans, Blue Train, Cape Town, Los Angeles, Rio Grande, Union Pacific, California Zephyr, United States, Lake Shore Limited, Salt Lake City, Victoria Falls, William Barclay Parsons, Central Pacific, Collected Poems, Good-Rocking Poppa, North America, Rapid Transit Commission, Simplon-Orient Express, Alice Springs, Charles Dickens, Fort George
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