Wells. Jeffrey.:An Illustrated Historical Survey of the Railways in and Around Bury.
- gebunden oder broschiert 2010, ISBN: 9781899624294
New York: Metro Books. Very Good. Hardback. 2010. dj slightly bent and small tear.<br> Railways changed the face of the world. They revolutionized the way that goods and people tra… Mehr…
New York: Metro Books. Very Good. Hardback. 2010. dj slightly bent and small tear.<br> Railways changed the face of the world. They revolutionized the way that goods and people tra veled, allowing industry to blossom by bringing raw materials and workers where they were needed. Rail travel made a huge differen ce to personal mobility, allowing the individual the chance of tr aveling a greater distance faster than before. Within a hundred y ears of its invention, rail travel was possible on nearly a milli on miles of track worldwide, from the London underground commuter network to the massive Trans-Siberian Railway that crossed the f rozen wastes of Asiatic Russia. By the early decades of the 20th century, nearly 900,000 miles of railroad had been built in the w orld, with some mileage in nearly every nation. In North America the lineage was huge: railway construction in general was very ra pid in the post-Civil War decades and by 1890 the length of the U .S. rail system was 163,000 miles; by 1916 it had reached an all- time high of 254,000 miles. In Canada the first rail service star ted in 1836, and by 1880 the network had expanded to about 6,960 miles. The Canadian Pacific Railway was completed across the Rock ies to the Pacific by 1885. Even as railways exploded over the gl obe, signs of a decline in steam traction were apparent in the ma jor industrialized nations after World War I. Early in the centur y the monopoly that had been held by steam railroads was challeng ed by a number of new modes of transport: electric trains; thousa nds and soon millions of private automobiles; intercity buses; la rger and larger trucks; airplanes carrying mail, passengers, and high-priority freight; and a growing network of pipelines. As a r esult, railways in the United States and Europe went into decline after World War I, with substantial losses in mileage, employmen t, and traffic. However, steam railways had something that other forms of traction lacked. It's difficult to say exactly what that is, but for some reason the fire and smoke give the steam locomo tive a life of its own. Today, even though steam has ceased regul ar mainline passenger transport, it retains its fascination and p articular charm: look at the success of scenic railways and steam museums all over North America. This handy book provides a valua ble background to steam railways and a whistle-stop tour of the w orld's steam locomotives. ., Metro Books, 2010, 2.75, McGraw-Hill. Very Good. 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.3 inches. Hardcover. 2004. 350 pages. <br>A tour de force...prepare to be amazed. --John C. Bogle, Founder and Former CEO, The Vanguard Group Why didn't th e Florentines invent the steam engines and flying machines that D a Vinci sketched? What kept the master metallurgists of ancient R ome from discovering electricity? The Birth of Plenty takes a fas cinating new look at the key conditions that had to be in place b efore world economic growth--and the technological progress under lying it--could occur, why those pathways are still absent in man y parts of today's world, and what must be done before true, univ ersal prosperity can become a reality. The Birth of Plenty doesn 't mean to suggest that nothing of note existed before 1820. What The Birth of Plenty suggests that, from the dawn of recorded his tory through 1820, the mass of man experienced essentially zero g rowth, either in economic standing or living standards. It was on ly in the third decade of the nineteenth century that the much of the world's standard of living began to inexorably and irreversi bly improve, and the modern world was born. But what changed, an d why then? Noted financial expert and neurologist William Bernst ein isolates the four conditions which, when occurring simultaneo usly, constitute an all-inclusive formula for human progress: Pr operty rights--Creators must have proper incentives to create S cientific rationalism--Innovators must be allowed to innovate wit hout fear of retribution Capital markets--Entrepreneurs must be given access to capital to pursue their visions Transportation /communication--Society must provide mechanisms for effective com munication of ideas and transport of finished products Beyond j ust shining a light on how quickly progress occurs once the build ing blocks are in place, however, The Birth of Plenty examines ho w their absence constitutes nothing less than a prescription for continued human struggle and pain. Why do so many parts of the wo rld remain behind, while others learn to adapt, adopt, and move f orward? What must long-troubled nations do to pull themselves fro m the never-ending spiral of defeatism? The Birth of Plenty addre sses these timely and vital questions head-on, empirically and wi thout apology, and provides answers that are both thought-provoki ng and troubling. The Birth of Plenty frames the modern world's prosperity--or, in far too many cases, continuing lack of prosper ity--in terms that are ingenious yet simple, complex yet easily u nderstood. Entertaining and provocative, it will forever change t he way you view the human pursuit of happiness, and bring the con flicts of both the world's superpowers and developing nations int o a fascinating and informative new light. Editorial Reviews Fr om Publishers Weekly Rather than dry academic analysis, Bernstein , in his second book (after Four Pillars of Investing), has creat ed a vital, living text-a cogent, timely journey through the econ omic history of the modern world. He identifies institutions (the framework within which human beings think, interact and carry on business) as the engines of prosperity. Boiled down to four (pro perty rights, the scientific method, capital markets and communic ations), these institutions come from ideas and practices that bu bbled forth over the course of hundreds of years. Bernstein is cl ear in explaining that the civilizations that develop and impleme nt these systems thrive, and that those that do not, perish. The Spanish empire, for example, had most of these but lacked effecti ve capital markets. When the gold from the New World dried up, th e empire essentially went broke. By 1840 the British had all of t hese institutions in place, economic growth exploded and the lot of the common man was immensely improved. Today, the U.S. faces t he challenge of sustaining prosperity in the face of rapid techno logical change. Though fairly Eurocentric in focus, Bernstein's n arrative tracks the development of these essential ingredients to prosperity over a global landscape-the great dynasties of China get plenty of attention here, as do the Japanese. Solid writing a nd poignant assessments of the economic players throughout time g ive texture and flavor to Bernstein's argument: he describes the medieval relationship between the various European kingdoms and t he Vatican as a holy shakedown racket. Packed with information an d ideas, Bernstein's book is an authoritative economic history, a ccessible and thoroughly entertaining. Copyright ® Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserve d. From Booklist With the advent of computers, we tend to think that technology is changing at a more rapid pace than ever. Berns tein, a noted financial expert, reminds us that the invention of the locomotive and the telegraph prior to 1850 had a much greater impact on the lives and well-being of the people of that era. Ac cording to his analysis, there was little change in the world's s tandard of living from the dawn of recorded history all the way t o 1820, with technological progress moving in reverse as often as forward. In a very solid review of economic history, Bernstein e xamines the four factors that fell into place to create a formula for human progress: property rights, scientific rationalism, cap ital markets, and transportation and communication. From the rise of common law to the invention of the steam engine, from the cre ation of currencies to shipbuilding, this is an in-depth history of the rise of prosperity. It is topical, as well, examining the impact of economic progress on happiness, trends in income inequa lity, and the opposing views of the Christian and Muslim mindsets . David Siegfried Copyright © American Library Association. All r ights reserved From the Back Cover ...a tour de force...prepare to be amazed. --John C. Bogle, Founder and Former CEO, The Vang uard Group A bold new look at the continuing era of prosperity-- how we got here, and where we could be headed Why didn't the Flo rentines invent the steam engines and flying machines that Da Vin ci sketched? What kept the master metallurgists of ancient Rome f rom discovering electricity? The Birth of Plenty takes a fascinat ing new look at the key conditions that had to be in place before world economic growth--and the technological progress underlying it--could occur, why those pathways are still absent in many par ts of today's world, and what must be done before true, universal prosperity can become a reality. Not long after 1820, prosperit y began flowing in an ever increasing torrent; with each successi ve generation, the life of the son became observably more comfort able, informed, and predictable than that of the father. This boo k will examine the nature, causes, and consequences of this trans formation... --From the Introduction The Birth of Plenty doesn' t mean to suggest that nothing of note existed before 1820. What The Birth of Plenty suggests--and supports with irrefutable fact and groundbreaking analysis--is that, from the dawn of recorded h istory through 1820, the mass of man experienced essentially zero growth, either in economic standing or living standards. It was only in the third decade of the nineteenth century that the much of the world's standard of living began to inexorably and irrever sibly improve, and the modern world was born. But what changed, and why then? Noted financial expert and neurologist William Bern stein isolates the four conditions which, when occurring simultan eously, constitute an all-inclusive formula for human progress: Property rights--Creators must have proper incentives to create Scientific rationalism--Innovators must be allowed to innovate w ithout fear of retribution Capital markets--Entrepreneurs must be given access to capital to pursue their visions Transportati on/communication--Society must provide mechanisms for effective c ommunication of ideas and transport of finished products Beyond just shining a light on how quickly progress occurs once the bui lding blocks are in place, however, The Birth of Plenty examines how their absence constitutes nothing less than a prescription fo r continued human struggle and pain. Why do so many parts of the world remain behind, while others learn to adapt, adopt, and move forward? What must long-troubled nations do to pull themselves f rom the never-ending spiral of defeatism? The Birth of Plenty add resses these timely and vital questions head-on, empirically and without apology, and provides answers that are both thought-provo king and troubling. The Birth of Plenty frames the modern world' s prosperity--or, in far too many cases, continuing lack of prosp erity--in terms that are ingenious yet simple, complex yet easily understood. Entertaining and provocative, it will forever change the way you view the human pursuit of happiness, and bring the c onflicts of both the world's superpowers and developing nations i nto a fascinating and informative new light. About the Author William Bernstein, Ph.D., M.D. founded the popular website effici entfrontier. A practicing neurologist and the author of The I ntelligent Asset Allocator and The Four Pillars of Investing, Dr. Bernstein has an intensely loyal following of readers as well as an extensive network of media contacts. He is often quoted in Th e Wall Street Journal and is a frequent guest columnist for Morni ngstar. </div About the Author William Bernstein, Ph.D., M.D. f ounded the popular website efficientfrontier. A practicing ne urologist and the author of The Intelligent Asset Allocator and T he Four Pillars of Investing, Dr. Bernstein has an intensely loya l following of readers as well as an extensive network of media c ontacts. He is often quoted in The Wall Street Journal and is a f requent guest columnist for Morningstar. </div ., McGraw-Hill, 2004, 3, Nottingham: Challenger / Book Law - Railbus Publications. Book. Fine. Hardcover. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. 128 pages. 780g. Pictorial laminated boards, with slight fading to fore-edge of front board and spine. o/w FINE with contents tight and clean. Fully illustrated with b/w photographs and route map.., Challenger / Book Law - Railbus Publications., 5<
