This is the dream read for any railway and map lover, and I speak as one who is both. It is the definitive historic guide to all the railways in Britain, both existing and lost. All train lines in operation between 1807 and 1994 are dramatically set in colour against an Ordnance Survey grid, alongside the names of the companies that built them, and the opening and closing dates of the stations they connect.
Colonel Cobb, cartographer, railway historian and WW2 veteran created this magnificent atlas after he expertly pinpointed PG Wodehouse’s fictional Blandings Castle by examining the railway information and train times, mentioned in all of Wodehouse’s stories.
Inspired by the task, this amazing man embarked on an epic study of all of Britain’s railways, past and present. It took 18 years of painstaking plotting and researching, as well as traveling on every train line in the country.
Colonel Cobb was awarded a PhD by Cambridge University for this work at the age of 91, making him the oldest person on record to be award a PhD by a university. The first atlas was published in 2003 and sold out immediately, as did a subsequent reprint. This edition has been carefully edited and improved by Patrick Cobb, Michael Cobb’s eldest son.
With over 646 pages of beautifully reproduced maps, this luxury edition consists of two volumes in a slipcase. It is the perfect companion for collectors of special, limited-edition, art books.
In 1940 Michael Cobb participated in the Battle of France, the Dunkirk evacuation and also trained commandos and saw action at Nijmegen. En route to the Far East in 1944 his troopship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea. After the war he joined Military Survey, becoming FRICS. He retired in 1965 as a colonel and spent some years as a professional cartographer before becoming fully retired in 1971.
I love it. The maps are just an amazing feast of information, and constantly one is aware of the love of the task, and the sheer consistent endeavour. Fascinating and moving. I love the fact that Patrick, Michael’s son has cared for, and improved his father’s life’s work.
Published on 13th July by Riley Dunn & Wilson (Huddersfield) Ltd. £295 www.rdw.co.uk
www.railwaysofgreatbritain.com