Book ID: CBB512572114

To the Edge of the World: The Story of the Trans-Siberian Express, the World's Greatest Railroad (2014)

unapi

Wolmar, Christian (Author)


PublicAffairs


Publication Date: 2014
Physical Details: 320 pp.
Language: English

To the Edge of the World is an adventure in travel—full of extraordinary personalities, more than a century of explosive political, economic, and cultural events, and almost inconceivable feats of engineering. Christian Wolmar passionately recounts the improbable origins of the Trans-Siberian railroad, the vital artery for Russian expansion that spans almost 6,000 miles and seven time zones from Moscow to Vladivostok. The world's longest train route took a decade to build—in the face of punishing climates, rampant disease, scarcity of funds and materials, and widespread corruption. The line sprawls over a treacherous landmass that was previously populated only by disparate tribes and convicts serving out their terms in labor camps—where men were regularly starved, tortured, or mutilated for minor offenses. Once built, it led to the establishment of new cities and transformed the region's history. Exceeding all expectations, it became, according to Wolmar, “the best thing that ever happened to Siberia.” It was not all good news, however. The railroad was the cause of the 1904–1905 Russo-Japanese War, and played a vital—and at times bloody—role in the Russian Revolution and the subsequent Civil War. More positively, the Russians were able to resist the Nazi invasion during the Second World War as new routes enabled whole industries to be sent east. Siberia, previously a lost and distant region, became an inextricable part of Russia's cultural identity. And what began as one meandering, single-track line is now, arguably, the world's most important railroad. (Amazon)

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Reviewed By

Review Alfred C. Mierzejewski (Fall/Winter 2014) Review of "To the Edge of the World: The Story of the Trans-Siberian Express, the World's Greatest Railroad". Railroad History (p. 112). unapi

Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB512572114/

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Authors & Contributors
Solomon, Brian
Heywood, Anthony
Hansen, Peter A.
Jonathan English
Peter Tip
Welsh, Joe
Concepts
Land transportation
Railroads
Locomotives, steam
Passenger trains
Locomotives, Diesel
Business history
Time Periods
20th century
19th century
21st century
20th century, early
Places
United States
Russia
Soviet Union
Nebraska (U.S.)
Western states (U.S.)
Kansas (U.S.)
Institutions
Amtrak
Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad Company
Trans-Siberian Railway
Ideal Cement Company
Wabash Railroad Company
American Locomotive Company (Alco)
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