Interview with Julian Holland, author of The Times British Railways: The illustrated history of a national institution
Julian Holland, author of The Times British Railways: The illustrated history of a national institution recommends a great group of books! Before jumping into the interview, please check out Julian's book:
Description from Bookshop.org: (All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)
The Times British Railways: The illustrated history of a national institution
From its birth in 1948 to its demise in 1994, it was both loved and loathed by the country’s hard-pressed travelling public (most of whom didn’t own a car). Take a trip down memory lane and discover the story of the rise and fall of a British institution.
Following the post-war Labour government’s decision to nationalise much of Britain’s transport undertakings, mining and heavy industry, British Railways was born on 1st January 1948. The new state-controlled railway system was saddled with an archaic and worn-out network, decrepit motive power and rolling stock brought on by six years of wartime hardship and lack of maintenance and investment.
However, by the early 1950s the tide had slowly started to turn with a return to profitability and the introduction of new standardised classes of steam locomotives and rolling stock. The end for British Railways came at the beginning of 1965 when it changed its public image to British Rail and introduced the highly successful ‘Inter-City’ brand of passenger trains and High-Speed Trains. British Rail survived until 1993. However, mounting debt led to the passing of the Railways Act by Parliament in that year, ushering in a new era of privatisation.
Discover the history of British Railways in this fully illustrated volume with topics such as:
· Nationalisation and the birth of British Railways
· British Railways standard steam locomotives from 1951–1960
· Early diesel, electric and gas turbine locomotives
· Boat trains
· Rural and seaside branch lines
· Camping coaches
· Travelling Post Office
· Railway accidents
· Trainspotting
· The death of British Railways and the birth of British Rail
· Privatisation: The end of British Rail
Buy On:
Bookshop.org UK £28.20
Blackwells £15.00
Waterstones £30.00
Q. Do you have a favourite smart thinking book (and why that book)?
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Description from Bookshop.org: (All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)
As a teenager I identified with Holden Caulfield.
The Catcher in the Rye
The hero-narrator of The Catcher in the Rye is an ancient child of sixteen, a native New Yorker named Holden Caufield. Through circumstances that tend to preclude adult, secondhand description, he leaves his prep school in Pennsylvania and goes underground in New York City for three days.
Buy On:
Bookshop.org UK £9.49
Bookshop.org US $9.31
Blackwells £14.99
Waterstones £14.99
Q. What's the most recent smart thinking book you've read (and how would you rate it)?
The Chimp Paradox: How Our Impulses and Emotions Can Determine Success and Happiness and How We Can Control Them by Steve Peters. Description from Bookshop.org: (All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)
Recommended to me by my GP. It has improved my life. Excellent! 10 out of 10.
The Chimp Paradox: How Our Impulses and Emotions Can Determine Success and Happiness and How We Can Control Them
Do you sabotage your own happiness and success? Are you struggling to make sense of yourself? Do your emotions sometimes dictate your life?
The Chimp Paradox is an incredibly powerful mind management model that can help you become a happy, confident, healthier and more successful person. Prof Steve Peters explains the struggle that takes place within your mind and then shows how to apply this understanding to every area of your life so you can:
- Recognise how your mind is working
- Understand and manage your emotions and thoughts
- Manage yourself and become the person you would like to be
The Chimp Mind Management Model is based on scientific facts and principles, which have been simplified into a workable model for easy use. It will help you to develop yourself and give you the skills, for example, to remove anxiety, have confidence and choose your emotions. The book will do this by giving you an understanding of the way in which your mind works and how you can manage it. It will also help you to identify what is holding you back or preventing you from having a happier and more successful life.
Each chapter explains different aspects of how you function and highlights key facts for you to understand. There are also exercises for you to work with. By undertaking these exercises you will see immediate improvements in your daily living and, over time, you will develop emotional skills and practical habits that will help you to become the person that you want to be, and live the life that you want to live.
Buy On:
Bookshop.org UK £14.24
Bookshop.org US $18.64
Blackwells £14.99
Waterstones £14.99
Q. Do you have a favourite childhood book?
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome. Description from Bookshop.org: (All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)
Swallows and Amazons
For the Walker children, sailing the boat Swallow to an island for a camping trip is a fantastic adventure. But soon they find themselves under attack from the fierce pirates of the Amazon, Nancy and Peggy. And so begins the battles, alliances and discoveries in a summer like no other.
Buy On:
Bookshop.org UK £7.59
Bookshop.org US $17.66
Blackwells £25.00
Waterstones £25.00
Q. Do you prefer reading on paper, Kindle or listening to an audiobook?
Paper
Q. Do you have a favourite bookshop (and why that shop)?
Bailey Hill Bookshop
Bailey Hill Bookshop, Castle Cary, Somerset. Excellent selection, quiet and peaceful.
Many thanks to Julian for recommending a great group of books! Please don't forget to check out The Times British Railways: The illustrated history of a national institution.
Daryl
Image Copyrights: (The Times British Railways: The illustrated history of a national institution), Penguin Books Ltd (The Catcher in the Rye), Ebury Publishing (The Chimp Paradox: How Our Impulses and Emotions Can Determine Success and Happiness and How We Can Control Them), (Swallows and Amazons).
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