This beautifully produced book on railway posters tells the story of the development of railways and train travel through the posters which were used to promote them. The author, Thierry Favre, was born in 1931 and did not write his first book on marine painting until he was 70. This work on railway posters was completed in his eightieth year, which must give us all hope for old age! The book in question takes the reader on a visual journey from the bygone age of passenger steam locomotives to modern day high‐speed electric trains. The colourful posters created by the graphic artists help to convey the excitement and nostalgia that accompany today's perception of train travel. Many younger people living in this century will have never travelled properly on a steam train, though they might have taken their children on one of the many steam railways which have sprung up round the UK – examples being the Bluebell Line in Sussex and the Gloucester & Warwickshire Steam railway not too far from where this reviewer lives. Run by enthusiasts, these are sadly but a remnant of the huge railway network which used to cover the UK and which was cut back by Dr Beeching in the 1960s.
At least this book will give a wonderful flavour of not only railways in the UK, but many of the European lines; also railways in the USA and Canada, the Trans‐Siberian Railway and the Simplon Orient Express. There are also a few examples of Japanese and Australian state railway posters. In chronological order follow short chapters on railways in the nineteenth century – describing the construction of lines and networks in Europe and the USA; then 1900‐1920 – the train as a factor of development; 1919‐1929 – period of consolidation and happy journeys; 1930‐1945 covering the difficult years with necessary restructuring and evolution after the Second World War; and 1950‐2005 covering the renaissance of rail and the modernisation of European networks. Finally there comes a section on the coming of luxury in the form of the Pullman. There is also a list of the best‐known railway poster designers including my favourite – Terence Cuneo.
This book is a visual treat but is not meant to give an‐in depth history of railways. Readers will have to go elsewhere for this. But if what is required is a history of world's railways through the medium of colourful poster art, with some useful text added, then this book does the job very effectively. The author neatly encapsulates the development of the railways in a very accessible and readable way. I am not sure whether this is a true reference work – rather it might be shelved with the art books in the graphic design section. But beware – it shouts out to have the odd page removed by some enthusiast who wants a nice framed picture on the study wall! It is the ideal coffee table book with its bold and colourful cover and promise of nostalgia and journeys on steam trains long gone and is very reasonably priced at £25.00. A splendid gift for a steam enthusiast!
