Government regulation of the railroads is probably the most important example of federal intervention in the economy from the Civil War to World War I. It is also a key to an assessment of the impulses and motives behind Progressivism. In Railroads and Regulation, Gabriel Kolko presents a case study of the relationship of the economy to the political process in the United States during the years from 1877 to 1916.

The author discusses the extent to which the railroad industry encouraged and relied on national political solutions--such as the creation of the first significant federal regulatory agency, the Interstate Commerce Commission, in 1887--to its economic problems. He shows how this reliance created a pattern of interdependence between economic and political power that set a precedent for government regulation of the economy in the twentieth century. Drawing on new material and manuscript sources, Dr. Kolko describes the roles of the railroad men in the movement for federal regulation. The attitudes of the railroads toward regulation are placed in the broader context of the determination of governmental economic policies--policies frequently formulated in response to railroad pressure.

Dr. Kolko traces the continuity in governmental regulation between 1877 and 1900 and during the administration of Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson, with fresh material of Progressive leaders in the period from 1910 to 1916. He analyzes the origin of each major federal railroad act and the contending forces trying to shape the legislation, and gives an illuminating discussion of the relationship of the state and federal regulation.

Railroads and Regulation, 1877-1916 was awarded the Transportation History Prize of the Organization of American Historians.

Flying is sometimes defined as "hours and hours of sheer boredom punctuated by moments of stark panic." In HANGER FLYING, Lt/Col Alfred J. D'Amario shares many of those "moments of stark panic" that punctuated the 5,000 or so flying hours he accumulated during his twenty years in the Air Force. The author, who much prefers to be called Joe, takes the reader through Basic and Advanced pilot training, transition to jets, fighter gunnery and fighter bomber training and real combat in Korea. Then there are six years of "peace time" flying in Training Command followed by eleven years of Cold War missions in the six engine B-47 and eight engine B-52. But, Hanger Flying is about in-flight emergencies and hair-raising experiences, not about the hours and hours of just boring holes in the sky. Hanger Flying (the practice, not the book) is what assembled pilots do when they aren't flying. It is a "Can you top this?" exercise in story telling. And that is what the author does in this easy reading, fast paced account of many of the close calls he had both in and out of combat.

Join Thomas as he travels around meeting his friends, both old and new! This colourful chunky board book introduces the brand-new younger Thomas style. With cute artwork and simple text in a chunky board that's the perfect size for small hands, this is the perfect gift for young Thomas & Friends fans. Children will also love joining in saying Thomas' name, pointing to his number 1 and making fun engine noises, too. Thomas has been teaching children lessons about life and friendship for over 75 years. He ranks alongside other beloved character such as Paddington Bear, Winnie-the-Pooh and Peter Rabbit as an essential part of our literary heritage.

The universally themed book titled, 'The Karmic Car Cycles', is a hilarious romp of car related misadventures by the author/protagonist Cliff R. Livingstone. The book hits the ground running and is still running at the end. Having led one of the wackiest, most unusual, and so far unlikely lives on the planet, the author romps through these awesome and oftentimes unbelievable Karmic Car adventures at the rate of about ten laughs a second. The author proposes that his car misadventures occurred because he had a Karmic Car Cycle going on. He then builds the case though a series of hilarious 'vignettes' that work in their right own over and above the narrative. In writing it is hard to find an approach that stands out from the crowd. But this is what Livingstone has done with this distinctive work which lives up to its billing as a 'non-stop romp, morning, noon and night'. The writing style is uproariously funny, conversational, wry, even whimsical at times and is never less than totally entertaining. The book is anything but your standard bowl of cornflakes. Writing is about addressing other people. Mr. Livingstone has accurately identified the things about his life's experiences which could be of interest to others. This gives the 'Karmic Car Cycles' a more universal appeal than an average straight forward narrative novel might offer. The book also has a universal appeal which everyone can enjoy, in the sense that while located mainly in Canada, the misadventures could just as easily have happened to anybody, anywhere in the world whether rich, poor, male, female, sane, zany or just plain still in their boots. Likewise, the author's self-imposed criterion that all included material be entertaining and/or thought provoking for the benefit of others is a rule from which many writers could benefit.

W. Heath Robinson is best known for his hilarious drawings of zany contraptions, though his work ranged across a wide variety of topics covering many aspects of British life in the decades following the First World War. Starting out as a watercolour artist, he quickly turned to the more lucrative field of book illustration and developed his forte in satirical drawings and cartoons. He was regularly commissioned by the editors of Tatler and The Sketch and in great demand from advertising companies. Collections of his drawings were subsequently published in many different editions and became so successful as to transform Heath Robinson into a household name, celebrated for his eccentric brand of British humour. Presenting such innovations as the 'Zip-Opening Bonnet', the 'Duo-car for the Incompatible' and the handy 'New Rear Wheel Gear for Turning the Car in One Movement', this volume of Heath Robinson illustrations with commentary by K.R.G. Browne will appeal to 'everybody who is ever likely to drive, be driven in, or get run over by a mechanically propelled vehicle'.

This new railway atlas by Stuart Malthouse is a complete labour of love and has taken many years to compile, showing as it does the railways of the South West and Central Southern England in astonishing detail. It shows a much wider range of railway types and their features than on most existing maps. The area covered extends from Cornwall in the South West to Hampshire in Central Southern England, as far north as Bristol and Swindon. Industrial railways are shown as well as passenger railways, and each map is accompanied by a detailed key of the public and private railway systems with dates of operation and gauges, stations and topographical features, together with detailed opening and closing dates and name changes. A chronology of the public railway routes also accompanies each map, which includes independent public railways or independent private railways with public rail involvement. The atlas is prefaced by 76 pages of detailed information about the railways and a detailed chronology.

Aviation safety is of global concern. This book is about one person's experience as a non-hypocritical safety regulator in a challenging environment. The author has found her amazing career experience interesting to share. The hazards of playing politics and being hypocritical with safety regulation are clearly reflected in this book. From the human angle, it shows the ugly face of office politics and power play and their detrimental effects on those at the receiving end. The rather slow pace of progress in the aviation regulatory entity since the author's ordeal and her subsequent forceful retirement is a lesson in why responsible authorities shouldn't be cutting their noses to spite their faces.

You are in your car, blazing down the road. A historical marker appears. You want to stop but you can't. What did it say? Here at last is the solution to your problem. This book presents the actual inscriptions of Califorina's 1,013 offical markers.

This book looks at the very beginnings of motor buses in the early years of the twentieth century. A good selection of photographs is accompanied by articles on different aspects of the story, including the first motor bus routes, driver training, the pioneers, alternatives to the petrol engine including electric buses, and developments up to the first covered top buses.

In 1873 a company was formed to construct the first railway across Canada. It soon branched out into shipping, chartering ships from the Cunard Line for service between Vancouver, Yokohama, Shanghai and Hong Kong. In 1889 Canadian Pacific would be awarded the mail contract for the service across the Pacific and, by 1903, they would purchase Elder Dempster & Company and begin sailing from Liverpool to Quebec and Montreal. They obtained control of the Atlantic, rail and Pacific routes, and later interest in the Canadian-Australasian Line, becoming 'the world's greatest transportation system', bridging two oceans and linking four continents. Canada's largest operator of Atlantic and Pacific steamships until after the Second World War, CP Ships boasted such names as Empress of Britain, Empress of Ireland and Empress of Canada. This new history of the shipping side of Canadian Pacific includes a wealth of illustrations and a detailed fleet list that will enthral maritime enthusiasts.