Writing the Rails: Train Adventures By the World's Best-Loved Writers (1579122051) - Reviews and Prices

Editorial Review:

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.

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

Captivating Ride into Yesteryear:

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... more info

Can you hear that lonesome whistle?:

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... more info

the Magic of the ride...:

From Langston Hughes ,charles Dickens,John steinbeck,Czar Alexander III,and more...80 plus authors..It seems every word ever said or written regarding a train is compiled in this book. Poets,authors,kings,popes ect... If you love trains,if you love a great book that tells almost all that could be said this one may be your adventure of the rails without leaving your chair..I loved it,

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