Last Journey of William Huskisson - Tapa blanda

From the author of Mauve comes a dramatic and hugely readable account of the day which saw the dawning of the railway age - and the first railway accident. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the greatest engineering feat of its age. George and Robert Stephenson's 'Rocket' was to become the most famous locomotive in history. William Huskisson was one of the greatest statesmen of his generation, and certainly the most accident prone. On 15 September 1830, the three met for the first time. 'Part biography, part social, part railway history, this is a good example of history-by-episode . . . It is an enjoyable, well-researched and instructive account. By no means is it only for railway buffs, but it might turn you into one.' The Spectator

Simon Garfield was born in 1960. He is the author of Expensive Habits: The Dark Side of the Industry, The End of Innocence: Britain in the Time of AIDS, which was awarded the Somerset Maugham Prize, The Wrestling, The Nation's Favourite: The True Adventures of Radio 1, Mauve, The Last Journey of William Huskisson, The Error World and the Mass Observation trilogy Our Hidden Lives, Private Battles and We Are At War.