Blood, Iron, and Gold

December 21, 2009
This spirited, dramatic history of “the most important invention of the second millennium” celebrates railroads as the central innovation of the industrial revolution, releasing economic and social energies on a stupendous scale. Historian Wolmar (The Great Railway Disaster
) chronicles the heroic age of railroad construction in the 19th century, with its mix of epic engineering and horrible exploitation. (The death toll on the trans-Panamanian railroad project included a mass suicide by Chinese workers.) Riding the early railroads, he notes, was almost as harrowing as building them, as passengers braved engine cinders that set their clothes on fire—and sometimes had to get out and push underpowered locomotives up steep grades. The railroads' social impact was equally breathtaking, in Wolmar's telling: it brought city folk fresh milk, out-of-season produce, and commutes to the suburbs; spawned monopolies and spectacular corruption scandals; and played a crucial role in enabling the world wars and the Holocaust. Wolmar explores this fertile subject with a blend of lucid exposition and engaging historical narrative. The result is a fascinating study not just of a transportation system, but of the Promethean spirit of the modern age. 16 pages of color illus.; maps.

Starred review from January 15, 2010
Journalist Wolmar tackles both how railroads developed worldwide from the 1820s forward and the profound changes they brought. He explains that countries like Italy and Germany used railroads to make themselves into unified nations, while the United States and Canada built railroads to spur settlement and development. Besides Europe and North America, Wolmar examines railroad construction in far-flung places like India, South America, Australia, and Africa. The central story is one of driven railroad builders overcoming the difficulties of terrain, disease, accidents, and finance. Wolmar concludes that rail transportation offers potential solutions for today's pressing global problems of energy and congestion. His work is both a serious history and an adventure story. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the growth and global historical impact of railroads.LM

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