2 out of 4 stars
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I’m usually impressed by people who can unwaveringly focus on precise, circumscribed, and peculiar subjects. I find that they have the potential to surprise us with fresh perspectives. So, as you can imagine, I was intrigued when I came across World Railway Accidents 1811-1880, written by Francis Voisey, and I decided to check it out.
Above all else, this book is about as detailed as they come. The author methodically and meticulously categorizes and describes train accidents that happened during those seventy years of the nineteenth century. The categories involve derailments, collisions, fires, explosions, sabotages, and vandalism, among others. And the narratives are thorough! Voisey provides a comprehensive list of all the major train accidents that took place between 1811 and 1880 in various parts of the world.
The aspects I most liked about this book were its scientific precision and historical outlook. I was positively impressed by the extensive research. There are more than a hundred pages with references to all the information sources used by the author. He provides accurate locations, timetables, train lengths and speeds, distances, and even boiler pressure figures. There are also quotes from local newspapers at the time the accidents happened. People and circumstances vary greatly: from French soldiers coming back from the Franco-Prussian war to Cheyenne warriors attacking and scalping men on a freight train in Nebraska.
On the other hand, I disliked the gory details. I felt that they were not necessary. In an accident in Philadelphia, for instance, Mr. Baxter’s head got so badly smashed that it came off when authorities removed his hat. Also, Mrs. Till got found nearly dead and agonizing because a “large iron bolt had passed entirely through her body.”
Additionally, the author’s neutral, detached tone was an aspect that bothered me a bit. I felt as if I were reading a bunch of bureaucratic accident reports written by insipid investigators. I understand this is a non-fiction title. But still, I wish the author had made at least a few personal remarks about the incidents. That would have given some color and flow to this otherwise acetic and arid work.
In closing, I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. It needs another round of editing, for there are numerous grammatical mishaps and also some typographical errors. For the poor editing, the unnecessarily gory details, and the overly dry tone, I am taking two stars away from the rating. I recommend it to readers who can endure such a detailed and specific tome.
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World Railway Accidents 1811-1880
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