 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 50-5217 | HE203 | 2011-44593 CIP | | Social & Behavioral Sciences History, Geography & Area Studies North America | | White, John H., Jr. Wet britches and muddy boots: a history of travel in Victorian America. Indiana, 2013. 510p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780253356963, $55.00; ISBN 9780253005588 pbk, $45.99. Reviewed in 2013may CHOICE. | | Former Smithsonian Institution curator of transportation White provides a comprehensive and highly readable examination of travel in the US during the 19th century, the so-called Victorian Era. Coverage features urban transport (taxis, omnibuses, and streetcars), stagecoaches, ferryboats, canals, river and lake, coastal and sound vessels, transoceanic sailing ships and steamships, and passenger trains. Throughout this massive work, the author repeatedly captures the romance, flavor, and color associated with travel. He is at his best when dealing with the duties of individuals who made intra-/intercity and international journeys possible, and how specific technologies functioned. Although White indicates that he designed this study for lay readers, everyone, including scholars of transportation, technology, and social and cultural life, will find valuable material. The book lacks footnotes, but White frequently explains his sources and also reveals them in the “Suggested Reading” section that follows each chapter. A rich selection of illustrations and an imaginative appendix called “Travel Words and Tales,” which covers the origins of words concerning travel, further enhances the work. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. — H. R. Grant, Clemson University |
|
| More titles from Indiana |
| More titles by White, John H., Jr, |
|
|
|
|
|