Riding the Rails in the USA: Trains in American Life (Transportation in America) - Hardcover

Sandler, Martin W.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195132289 ISBN 13: 9780195132281

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2003

Synopsis

Preachers railed against it: "Traveling at speeds up to 20 miles per hour went against the Lord's plan!" Doctors told their patients that traveling on it would cause serious physical and mental ailments, including the boiling of the blood. Newspapers cried out, "It is a topsy-turvy, harum-scarum whirligig!" But it didn't matter: America loved the train and the freedom of movement that came with it. Riding the Rails in America traces the dynamic relationship of America with the train, showing how the railroad was the single largest influence on the development of the nation's history and economy as it became possible to move freight and people farther and faster than ever before.

About this title

About the Author

Martin W. Sandler is the author of over twenty-six books on a variety of subjects. An award-winning television producer as well, he was the writer and executive producer of the highly-acclaimed PBS television program Excellence in the Public Sector.

Reviews

Grade 5-8-Written from an economic viewpoint, Riding the Rails is not the standard discussion of transportation. Instead, it explores the history of railroads, invention of the steam engine, the development of popular train travel, and the railroad's impact on American life as a means to move goods and people across the country. Full-color and black-and-white reproductions and quotes from period literature and newspapers such as Harper's Weekly add life and personal interest to the text. Of special note is the balanced discussion of the racism inherent in the use of Chinese workers to lay tracks and the "separate, but equal" policy for blacks that was standard practice in the South until 1954. A winner for both casual readers and student researchers.
Pamela K. Bomboy, Chesterfield County Public Schools, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Reviewed with Martin W. Sandler's Galloping across the USA .

Gr. 4-6. From the Transportation in America series, these volumes present the history and influence of horses and trains on American life. In Galloping, Sandler discusses varied topics: the Plains Indians' lives after the introduction of horses to America, the need for horses to pull wagons and coaches across primitive turnpikes in the East and along the westward trails, and the use of horses for city transportation, from early omnibuses to modern-day mounted police. Riding presents a more straightforward story, following the development of railroads in America from 1825 to the present and their role in everything from westward expansion to racial segregation. As in many overviews, the writing tends to be bland, but Sandler breaks into more interesting passages with his explanation of topics such as the "right side" and "wrong side" of the tracks. Reproduced in color, the many well-captioned photographs, documents, and prints from various periods are attractive and informative illustrations for the texts. A time line, a bibliography, and a list of places to visit round out each presentation. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195132289
• ISBN 13: 9780195132281
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 64