The opening of the pioneering Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830 marked the beginning of the railways' vital role in changing the face of Britain. Fire and Steam celebrates the vision and determination of the ambitious Victorian pioneers who developed this revolutionary transport system and the navvies who cut through the land to enable a country-wide network to emerge.

From the early days of steam to electrification, via the railways' magnificent contribution in two world wars, the chequered history of British Rail, and the buoyant future of the train, Fire and Steam examines the social and economical importance of the railway and how it helped to form the Britain of today.

A marvellously informative, entertaining and rightly partisan book... that has given me more pleasure than any I can remember in quite a while. -- Rod Liddle * Sunday Times *
Expertly explored and explicated, Wolmar never forgets the human dimension... A beautifully written, detailed (but never anoraky) history of two centuries of life on the iron road. -- Judith Flanders * Daily Telegraph *
From the prolific pen of the nation's most passionate and well-known advocate of rail transport and travel... rich in anecdotes without being anecdotal, firmly rooted and referenced in a broad knowledge of our railways yet still an entertaining read. -- Peter Lyth * BBC History Magazine *
A wonderful account of how our railways came to be. -- Jon Snow

Christian Wolmar is a writer and broadcaster. He writes regularly for the Independent and Evening Standard, and appears frequently on TV and radio. His previous books include the widely acclaimed The Subterranean Railway, a history of the London underground and On the Wrong Line, an account of rail privatization.