Milton Meltzer traces the histories of the steam locomotive and railway, and shows how they culminated in the modern system of railroad transportation we have today. The industry spawned a new breed of millionaire robber barons and sucked a tidal wave of immigrants to our shores. It changed the face and future of our country, and brought out the best and worst of modern American enterprise.
Meltzer is an award-winning writer of nonfiction for children, held in high esteem by critics for the authenticity and careful research that goes into his work. This book reflects the same devotion to accuracy, with its extensive bibliography and list of photo credits. A table of contents and alphabetical index makes information accessible for young researchers.
The foreword gives a brief overview of the history of the railroad and the impact it has had on the progress of civilization. Meltzer wraps up his discussion of the railroad in America with a new thesis. Railroad travel in this country is getting short shrift while lobbyists and legislatures favor the automobile and airline industry. The country would be better served if more money were earmarked for the development of a network of railroads, served by fast, reliable trains. The final chapter discusses the history, use and abuse of railroad travel in other countries.
The book's design is artful and engaging. The cover is a collage of black and white period photos, which are liberally scattered throughout the book. Photographs are set off by black photo corners, like those found in old albums. These are augmented by drawings and newspaper clippings from the period. The designer uses a pleasing mix of fonts that hearken back to bygone eras, and chapter titles are studded with the image of an historic three-cent postage stamp commemorating the transcontinental railroad.
Meltzer's style is bold and authoritative, including generalizations that are sometimes open to debate. He asserts that the invention of the railroad �led to the greatest change in human history since people began farming about twelve thousand years ago.� (p. 1) Later in the book he claims that the greatest contribution to the Industrial Revolution was �the mass production of machine-made interchangeable parts.� (p. 17) Later on that same page he asserts that �There were two basic reasons for America�s rapid modernization. One was the high level of mass education and literacy. The other was the openness to change, the willingness always to try something new, something better.�
His statements take a political edge in chapter 16 of the book: �You wonder, too, what the auto-based economy is doing to the country . . . Congress might consider this hard fact: Amtrak runs trains over the greatest mileage of any passenger railway in the world, yet it receives the smallest government funding.� (p. 125) Horn Book Magazine admits that this technique is, nevertheless, thought-provoking: �Though sometimes dense, repetitive, or running into sidetracks, the hard-hitting account is impressively informative and thought-provoking.� (September 1, 2004)
Meltzer finds new, interesting ways to say things. An example is found on page 3:
�The first railroad in America began operating in 1827.
�How did people get around before then?
�The answer: with difficulty and very little.�
He introduces Hitler's use of railroads to facilitate the slaughter of millions by telling the reader that �Railroads are not thinking, feeling objects.� (p. 138)
Meltzer employs the narrative style of mixing short, terse sentences with longer ones to give emotional impact to his statements about the Pullman Strike of 1894:
�The strike was broken.
�The American Railway Union was smashed.
�What scabs and soldiers could not do for the employers, the injunction had done.� (p. 112)
This richly-layered account of the history of the railroad includes engrossing tales of crime, greed, glory, corruption, dedication, loss and triumph. Meltzer makes expansive claims and generalizations, but provides evidence to support them. In the end, there is little one can find to dispute. �Meltzer's book is unique in its presentation of the myriad ways in which this form of transportation affected almost every aspect of modern civilization.� (School Library Journal, October 1, 2004)
Source
Books in Print [database online]. Available from http://www.booksinprint.com. Accessed 11 February 05.
Related Web Sites
Listen to a Train Whistle
The Book That Changed Milton Meltzer�s Life
Milton Meltzer Wins Laura Ingalls Wilder Award
School of Library and Information Studies
TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY