Author(s): Bill Laws

Technology and Transport

* Fifty Railways that Changed the Course of History is afascinating and beautifully presented guide to the train lines and rail companies thathave had the greatest impact on modern civilization.

* Entries range from the Metropolitan Line of the LondonUnderground, the world's first underground railway, to the Pacific Railroad, thefirst transcontinental railroad in North America.

* In order to justify the assertion that they literally 'changedthe course of history,' each railway is judged by its influence in fivecategories: Engineering, Society, commerce, Politics, and Military.