Bradshaw S Railway Handbook Vol 1

Bradshaw's Railway Handbook was originally published in 1866 under the title Bradshaw's Handbook for Tourists in Great Britain and Ireland. It appeared in four volumes as a comprehensive handbook for domestic tourists, offering a detailed view of English life in the Victorian age. Conway is proud to announce the reissue of the first volume of this series, which purportedly focuses on London and its environs - but actually deals with a broad swathe of English metropolitan, suburban and rural landscape (Kent, Sussex, Hants, Dorset, Devon, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Wight) full of fascinating period detail. Now available to a new generation of readers, it will appeal to railway, steam and transport enthusiasts, local historians, and anyone with an interest in British heritage, the Victorian period, or the nation's industrial past.

Collector's item, landmark in the history of the tour guide, snapshot of Britain in the 1860s – Bradshaw's Handbook deserves a place on the bookshelf of any traveller, railway enthusiast, historian or anglophile. Produced as the British railway network was reaching its zenith, and as tourism by rail became a serious pastime for the better off, it was the first national tourist guide specifically organized around railway journeys, and to this day offers a glimpse through the carriage window at a Britain long past. This is a facsimile of the actual book – often referred to as 'Bradshaw's Guide' – that inspired the 'Great British Railway Journeys' television series, possibly the only surviving example of the 1863 edition. It is an exact copy with a removable belly-band.

An enlarged facsimile edition of Bradshaw's descriptive railway handbook of Great Britain and Ireland of 1861.

Bradshaw's Railway Handbook was originally published in 1866 under the title Bradshaw's Handbook for Tourists in Great Britain and Ireland. It appeared in four volumes as a comprehensive handbook for domestic tourists, offering a detailed view of English life in the Victorian age. Conway is proud to announce the reissue of the first volume of this series, which purportedly focuses on London and its environs – but actually deals with a broad swathe of English metropolitan, suburban and rural landscape (Kent, Sussex, Hants, Dorset, Devon, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Wight) full of fascinating period detail. Now available to a new generation of readers, it will appeal to railway, steam and transport enthusiasts, local historians, and anyone with an interest in British heritage, the Victorian period, or the nation's industrial past.

Bradshaw's guide to London was published in a single volume as a handbook for visitors to the capital, and it includes beautiful engravings of London attractions, a historical overview of the city, and lots of other information relating to London theatres, Hackney carriages, omnibuses, London churches and even banks. There is also advice for tourists on coping with London smog, avoiding pickpockets, dealing with London's muddy streets and ferocious din, and many other topics - some just as useful today as they were in 1862! The main body of the book focuses on a series of 'walking tours' radiating outwards from the centre of London, covering the North, East, South and West, The City of London and a tour of the Thames (from Greenwich to Windsor). All major attractions and districts are covered in detailed pages full of picturesque description. This reformatted edition preserves the historical value of this meticulously detailed and comprehensive book, which will appeal to Bradshaw's enthusiasts, local historians, aficionados of Victoriana, tourists and Londoners alike - there really is something for everyone. It will enchant anyone with an interest in the capital and its rich history.

‘Bradshaw’s Guides were invaluable in their time and they provide the modern-day reader with a fascinating insight into the nineteenth-century rail traveller’s experience.’