When you think about glamour and luxury, your first thought probably isn’t trains or railways, however there once was a time when traveling railways signified social class. In his book, Luxury Railway Travel: A Social and Business History, author Martyn Pring, delves into the rise and fall of opulence rail travel, particularly throughout Britain.
Descriptive and informative, Pring explores the meaning of luxury and how it’s uniquely viewed and transformed by different generations. What was considered luxurious during the Victorian era is vastly different now. Luxury Railway Travel reads like an extravagant time travel through Britain’s opulence era where train travel was just as stylish and fanciful as the elite class themselves. From the coaches to the food on board, Luxury Railway Travel also looks at how rail travel shifted over a century and was reshaped by advanced technology, recessions, tourism and a flourishing middle class.
For those who love to follow a journey visually, there are plenty of photographs, old newspaper clippings and advertisement posters throughout. With over 350 pages, the book is rather long, but quite engaging, especially for history and travel enthusiasts like myself. There were several chapters I had to reread to fully grasp the timeline, so don’t worry if you have to reread, as well. Take your time and indulge in the seemingly romantic history of the wealthy and how they traveled.
Author Martyn Pring is a self-confessed railway buff from a young age. He worked as a researcher at the Department of Tourism, Bournemouth University, and more recently, as an independent researcher. You can find Luxury Railway Travel: A Social and Business History on Amazon or other online retailers. Since we can’t travel right now, it’s a great time to read about the history of travel’s past.
