Indiana University Press blog

Celebrate National Train Day with these railroad reads!

Today is National Train Day! Learn more about railroad history and why trains still matter in these books:

Railroads and the American People
H. Roger Grant

"With plenty of detail, Grant brings a bygone era back to life, addressing everything from social and commercial appeal, racial and gender issues, safety concerns, and leaps in technology. But Grant never loses sight of the big picture and the essential role the railroads played in American life. He writes with authority and clarity in a work that can appeal to both casual and hardcore enthusiasts." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

 Read excerpt

Available July 2013
Off the Main Lines
A Photographic Odyssey
Don L. Hofsommer

In this visually stunning and comprehensive photographic essay, railroad historian and photographer Donovan L. Hofsommer records the end of branchline passenger service, the demise of electric railroads, the transition from steam to diesel power, as well as the end of common carrier freight service on the Colorado narrow gauge.

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Available August 2013
The Rock Island Line
Bill Marvel

This richly illustrated book tells the story of a legendary railroad whose tracks spanned the Midwest, serving farms and small-town America for more than 140 years.

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Available October 2013
John Frank Stevens
Civil Engineer
Clifford Foust

One of America's foremost civil engineers of the past 150 years, John Frank Stevens was a railway reconnaissance and location engineer whose reputation was made on the Canadian Pacific and Great Northern lines. Drawing on Stevens’s surviving personal papers and materials from projects with which he was associated, Clifford Foust offers an illuminating look into the life of an accomplished civil engineer.

Learn more

And if you're looking for more than just a railroad reading adventure, search the National Train Day website for events in your area.

Book review: On Railways Far Away

"In addition to the careful research that went into his writing, Middleton was a gifted photographer who had an eye for creating interesting 'trainscape' scenes ... Unknowingly with this book, Middleton managed to save his best effort for last—a volume that is sure to please anyone who enjoys exceptional photography and a good story." —The Michigan Railfan

Railroads and the American People wins design award

We are pleased to announce that Railroads and the American People was selected for this year's AAUP Book, Jacket, & Journal Show in the Trade Typographic category! The book was designed by Jamison Cockerham, and was one of 51 winners out of 273 entries. The 2013 Book, Jacket, & Journal Show will debut at the AAUP Annual Meeting in Boston, June 20-22. Afterward, the show will be exhibited at AAUP member presses around the country from September 2013 through May 2014. For more information, visit the Association of American University Presses website.

Book review: The Indiana Rail Road Company

"This revised edition, with a new foreword by acclaimed author Fred Frailey and four new chapters, including one by Eric Powell and two by Frailey, brings readers up to date on Tom Hoback's amazing railroad adventure." —NMRA Magazine

All aboard the railroad book sale train!

From now through November 16, save 30%, plus receive free domestic ground shipping* on railroad titles! Enter sale code RAIL30 at checkout to receive discount and qualified free shipping. Shop now

*Free shipping offer applies to customers within the U.S. only

Publishers Weekly names 'Railroads and the American People' one of the Best New Books for the Week

Publishers Weekly has named Railroads and the American People by H. Roger Grant as one of the Best New Books for the Week of September 24!

PW offers the following praise for the book: "Grant never loses sight of the big picture and the essential role the railroads played in American life. He writes with authority and clarity in a work that can appeal to both casual and hardcore enthusiasts."

Learn more about Railroads and the American People on the IU Press website.

Smerk named recipient of 2012 Railway & Locomotive Historical Society award

The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society has recognized George M. Smerk, author of The Federal Role in Urban Mass Transportation and co-editor of the Encyclopedia of North American Railroads, as the recipient of the 2012 Gerald M. Best Senior Achievement Award "for his accomplishments as a professor and historian in urban transportation."

The retired Kelley School of Business professor founded the Institute for Urban Transportation at IU, helped design Bloomington's public transit system, and served on the board of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District for three decades—in addition to his writings.

Dr. Smerk continues to serve as editor of IU Press's Railroads Past and Present series and write a column for Railfan & Railroad magazine.

Staff pick: On Railways Far Away by William D. Middleton

Reviewed by project manager Nancy Lightfoot

This recommendation of William D. Middleton's beautiful last book On Railways Far Away is probably not news to railfans and rail historians, who already know enough about Bill Middleton to know that they will want to own it. This is a spectacular book about trains, and prominent railroad authors will have quite a bit to say about that (one reviewer kept writing "Wow!" in the margins). But as much as this is a book about trains, it is a photographic fairy tale about people and places and times far away, and I hope it finds a wider audience than even our many fine railroad books. It is a book that is nostalgic and romantic on many levels, and tucked into the lush photos of trains are a thousand details that show what a curious and attentive and delighted traveler Bill Middleton was.

So as much as this is a book about trains, it is also a book about history—about the matter-of-fact steps people took to deal with the danger and violence in their everyday lives during the Vietnam War, and the amazing feats it took to build bridges deep into and high above great rivers and to tunnel through miles of stone in remote mountains, and to open the last wild places to the world and industry. And it is also a book about travel—about tropical rainforests in the mountains of China and sun-bleached beaches along the Adriatic coast and misty waterfalls in black forests in the mountains of Norway. It is certainly a book about beautiful photography.

But what speaks to me more than anything else about this book is that it is also a book about people and it is full of stories. The last chapter is entirely about people and railroads, but there are pictures of people throughout the book that would have done any glossy spread in Life magazine proud. Children ice skate on Christmas day on a frozen river below a railroad bridge in China, full of the excitement of being a child on a snowy day. A little girl in a straw hat, white socks, and black patent leather shoes sits all alone on the platform in Tokyo, on a purse half as big as she is, lost in a book as she waits for the train. What is she reading and where is she going, all dressed up and all by herself? A caption reads, "A tower man handles the crossing at the Hilal Tower where two lines cross over in Izmir, Turkey, May 1962," but it's not clear whether he practices more precision in his job, or in shining his spectacular shoes and ironing the pleats in his pants. Where is he going all dressed up like that? A stylish woman straightens a man's tie before the Tokyo bullet train whisks them away . . . to where?

It is the last picture in the book that I have thought about most often, though, because I have been so surprised by my own feelings of wonder about trains (as you might be). Two tiny children are looking up in awe at a giant railway car, and the caption reads, "Even in the midst of war, small children come to see the railway. This is the daily departure north from Da Nang to Hue, Vietnam, January 1966." What a world Bill Middleton saw, and what an amazing gift he had for sharing what was important . . . about railways and worlds far away. I told Bill while I was working on the book how much it made me want to pack up and take to the road. He laughed and said gently, "Those places aren't there anymore." I'm thankful I got to see them through Bill's eyes. They are well worth the trip.

Last book by famed railroad author William D. Middleton now available

When famed railroad author William D. Middleton died last year at the age of 83, we were in the midst of working on what would be his last project with us. Now almost a year after his passing, we are releasing his book, On Railways Far Away.

In this lavishly illustrated memoir, Middleton invites readers to climb aboard and share his love for railroad tourism around the globe.

"My fascination with railways goes as far back as my memory, but it was not until the navy sent me off on my first assignment to Morocco more than 50 years ago that I began my interest in what were often called 'overseas railroads,' or, as I prefer, 'railways far away,'" Middleton writes in the preface.

His memories of these far away railroad trips are caputured in more than 200 of his favorite photographs and personal stories behind the images.

Like all of his books, sponosoring editor Linda Oblack says Middleton's latest release is "well thought out, impeccably written, and beautifully illustrated." But it is also bittersweet that this is the last new Middleton book that we will publish.

"He was the ultimate author to work with. He always made you feel as if he was on your side and that he was a friend. I will miss working with him, and I’m sure his fans will miss seeing new books by Bill on our railroad list," says Oblack.

For more information about On Railways Far Away, visit the IU Press website. Be sure to check back next month when Middleton's book will be featured as the July staff pick on the blog.

National Train Day Sale!

Happy National Train Day! To celebrate this occasion, we're offering 35% off all railroad books now through May 19. Use code RAIL35 at checkout. Shop now!