A facsimile edition of Bradshaw's Handbook of 1863, the book that inspired the BBC television series 'Great British Railway Journeys'. When Michael Portillo began the series 'Great British Railway Journeys', a well-thumbed 150-year-old book shot back to fame. The original Bradshaw's guides had been well known to Victorian travellers and were produced when the British railway network was at its peak and as tourism by rail became essential. It was the first national tourist guide specifically organized around railway journeys, and this beautifully illustrated facsimile edition offers a glimpse through the carriage window at a Britain long past.

At the turn of the 20th century the rail network extended to over 23,000 miles, very nearly the circumference of the world - the greatest length it was ever to achieve. Some urban routes had closed and later, hundreds of rural lines and stations succumbed to the Beeching axe. This title shows the network in its heyday before the decline commenced.

A facsimile edition of Bradshaw's wonderfully illustrated guide to Victorian London, dating from 1862. Bradshaw's guide to London was published in a single volume as a handbook for visitors to the capital. It includes beautiful engravings of London attractions, a historical overview of the city, advice for tourists and a series of 'walking tours' radiating outwards from the centre of London, covering the North, East, South and West, The City of London and a tour of the Thames (from Greenwich to Windsor). All major attractions and districts are covered in detailed pages full of picturesque description. This beautiful reformatted edition preserves the historical value of this meticulously detailed and comprehensive book, which will appeal to Bradshaw's enthusiasts, local historians, aficionados of Victoriana, tourists and Londoners alike - there really is something for everyone. It will enchant anyone with an interest in the capital and its rich history.

Especially for those who have obtained the recent facsimile copy of George Bradshaw's tourist's guide book. This detailed and attractive map clearly shows the many railways that had been built at the height of "Railway Mania" along with hundreds of railway stations throughout Great Britain and Ireland, allowing the enthusiast to follow the routes from a bygone age. Originally published in 1852 by Bradshaw and Blacklock it has now been art worked and re-mastered. George Bradshaw's Railway Map of Great Britain and Ireland is a visual record of when train travel was at its height - when railways were really golden - and his guides burst with pride about them. George Bradshaw's map also illustrates the eight "Environs" plans of London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dublin. The paper stock used in this series of historic mapping is of a high quality developed especially for the printing of detailed mapping. The 90 gsm "Progeo" paper was specially developed as a map paper. It has high opacity to help reduce show through and a cross grain giving it greater durability as the map is being folded.