Read Online To the Edge of the World The Story of the TransSiberian Express the World Greatest Railroad Christian Wolmar 9781610396363 Books

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Download As PDF : To the Edge of the World The Story of the TransSiberian Express the World Greatest Railroad Christian Wolmar 9781610396363 Books

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.

Read Online To the Edge of the World The Story of the TransSiberian Express the World Greatest Railroad Christian Wolmar 9781610396363 Books

"Mr. Wolmar tells an interesting story about the Trans-Siberian railroad. The detail he describes in building the railroad and and his descriptions of the harsh terrain that the railroad follows is fascinating. However at times he becomes too detailed as to the intricacies of financing of the railroad and some of the personalities that are involved. All in all it was an interesting book."

Product details Paperback 320 pages Publisher PublicAffairs; Reprint edition (April 5, 2016) Language English ISBN-10 1610396367

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To the Edge of the World The Story of the TransSiberian Express the World Greatest Railroad Christian Wolmar 9781610396363 Books Reviews :

To the Edge of the World The Story of the TransSiberian Express the World Greatest Railroad Christian Wolmar 9781610396363 Books Reviews

• I'm amazed at the lack of citations from an author who claims on the dust jacket to have "written for major British newspapers", author of numerous other books and "specializing in transportation matters". Firstly, even though he mentions the Treaty of Portsmouth (end of Russo-Japanese War) that was negotiated in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, he says it was in "Maine" and neither editor nor publisher were attentive enough to catch this very simple and well-known fact. Right there I started wondering what other "facts" were in question. For example, on p. 160 he writes "...there were no clear accounts of the cost [of the railway construction] kept by the government" (which I don't believe at all), then contradicts his own statement a number of times on p. 127 he claims the "Chinese Eastern Railway cost $400 million rubles (40,000 pounds)" with NO CITATION and then on p. 135 that the "Circum-Baikal cost 70 million rubles" with NO citation and on p.170 he claims, again without citation, that the "Amur Line cost 400 million rubles (40,000 pounds)" -- strangely the exact same cost as the Chinese Eastern Railway. Also, he never touches on the origins of the rail and locomotives. I know that most of the locomotives and rail (rolling stock) were purchased from Germany and the US, but NEVER ONCE does the author mention any information about this -- even though he says he's a "broadcaster specializing in transportation matters." Why not tell us about the types of locomotives and where they were purchased? He says he and his wife journeyed on the Trans-Siberian and there's a cute little picture of the 2 of them in the book, yet no description of the journey, no unique insight or local color, nothing that would give the reader the impression that he's actually been there and is any more an expert than someone who's read a few books (Orlando Figes is quoted endlessly) and compiled what he read in a manuscript. Also, I believe that the Trans-Siberian was financed with French loans--rather an important point that I was looking to confirm, but NO MENTION of this. In fact no mention of the financing at all, I guess since he already claimed that the Tsarist Government didn't keep records (PLEASE!) he didn't bother to research that issue. Yet he goes on and on about the food and other minutia, again without any citations at all. Wolmar also gives too much personal opinion about the demise of White forces during the civil war, which had no business in this book since this is a complicated subject that has been covered by actual historians elsewhere. Overall, super disappointed that this book was just a chatty manuscript with little reliable information that neither author, editor nor publisher cared to check before selling to the public.
• If you like well-written history, if you're interested at all in 20th-century Russia/Soviet Union, if you're into trains & the histories thereof, this book is for you. Thoroughly researched, elegantly written, measured & fair in its judgments, "To the Edge of the World" was a fascinating account of the history of the Trans-Siberian Railway. I rode the length of the railway this summer and took this book along, although I didn't end up reading it till after I was home. I wish I'd read it beforehand (or during), as I would have had a better appreciation for the monumental achievement that it is and for just how much history, much of it grim, played out along this line. One more thing I read the version. I wish I'd had the hard copy, as the maps & images on were just not user-friendly.
• This is a great book describing much about the Trans-Siberian Railway. The best parts involve the political consequences of the project. I found the stuff about the Russo-Japanese war (and the railway's role in it) very interesting as were the parts about the Russian revolution. For my tastes there was too little about the technical problems of building the railway. But if you're interested in a sweeping overall view, this is a nice compromise.
• I enjoy history very much and revel in the minutia of how things get done. So this book delivered on those points. I think I would have liked to know more about the actual construction of the railroad as well as the politics of the construction of the railroad. I guess history buffs are never satisfied. It is very apparent that public works projects always get bogged down in bureaucracy. Times haven't changed that much! I enjoyed reading this book and only the jumping around the timeline made it not 5 stars for me.
• Mr. Wolmar tells an interesting story about the Trans-Siberian railroad. The detail he describes in building the railroad and and his descriptions of the harsh terrain that the railroad follows is fascinating. However at times he becomes too detailed as to the intricacies of financing of the railroad and some of the personalities that are involved. All in all it was an interesting book.
• A another fine book on railroads, by this author. I have read other books he has written and they all do good credit to his subjects. Not as in depth, however he has a good overview of this road.
• Not a travel book but a real history of the longest Rail line in the world. Wanting to take the train now more than ever. On my bucket list
• Christian Wolmar is one of the world's leading authors about rail travel for a host of reasons; his research is impeccable, his presentation keeps the pages turning.