| AUTHOR | TITLE | COMMENTS |
| Beebe, Lucius and Charles Clegg |
The Age of Steam: A Classic Album of American Railroading |
Photos, drawings and paintings from American railroading, complete with detailed captions. So many images that it’s almost like a newspaper’s morgue. A vital reference. ISBN 0-88394-079-5 |
| Cooper, Bruce C., compiled and edited by |
Riding the Transcontinental Rails: Overland Travel on the Pacific Railroad, 1865-1881 |
A collection of first-person accounts, not all written for publication. Dozens of period engravings, maps, advertisements, and time tables. Fabulous and a total godsend. It was at my elbow much of the time, while I wrote THE NORTHERN DEVIL. ISBN 1411599934 |
| Fisher, Leonard Everett | Tracks Across America: The Story of the American Railroad 1825-1900 |
A children’s history of America’s railroads. Includes many interesting details not found elsewhere, like J.P. Morgan caning a photographer. ISBN 0-8234-0945-7 |
| Gould, William John Gilbert Edited by William R. |
My Life on Mountain Railroads |
Memoirs of a fireman and engineer who worked in the high country during the last days of steam locomotion. Very vivid storytelling. ISBN 0-87421-193-X |
| Maiken, Peter T. | Night Trains: The Pullman System in the Golden Years of American Rail Travel |
A detailed history of essentially passenger overnight travel, by state. A very useful reference book. ISBN 0-8018-4503-3 |
| Modelski, Andrew M., Geography and Map Division, The Library of Congress |
Railroad Maps of North America: The First Hundred Years |
A set of historical railroad maps, each with a page of explanatory text. Most of them have cities, states, mountains, rivers, etc. in vivid detail. It’s a map maker’s history of the United States, as well as the railroads themselves. ISBN 0-517-64297-2 |
| Reinhardt, Richard | Workin’ on the Railroad: Reminiscences from the Age of Steam |
First-hand accounts of working men from the 19th to the early 20th century, during the Age of Steam. Vignettes are both vivid and critical to understanding the railroad’s work. A book I read again and again for THE NORTHERN DEVIL and for my own enjoyment. ISBN 0-8061-3525-5 |
| Solomon, Brian | Steam Locomotives |
If you’re not mechanical – like me! – but you still want to understand locomotives, this is a great introduction. Lots of pictures. The text makes it clear why the big technical advances were useful. ISBN 0-681-87882-7 |
| Stover, John F. Mark C. Carnes, series editor |
The Routledge Historical Atlas of the American Railroads |
A great overview and my first stopping point for information about a time period or major railroad. I’m very, very fond of this book. ISBN 0-415-92140-6 |
| Welsh, Joe and Bill Howes | Travel by Pullman |
If you want to understand how passenger traffic worked, read this book. The text is as interesting as the pictures. I pored over it again and again. ISBN 0-7603-1857-3 |
| Wheeler, Keith and the Editors of Time-Life Books |
The Old West: The Railroaders |
Wonderful, wonderful book! The text is as good as the pictures, which is saying a lot. One of the books I kept always at hand while writing THE NORTHERN DEVIL. |
| Withuhn, William L., consultant editor, Curator of Transportation, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution |
Rails Across America: A History of Railroads in America |
A collection of nine, copiously illustrated chapters, each written by an expert in its field. Fabulous book. Fascinating either as a quick skim – ah, the glorious pictures! – or an in-depth read. It was one of the few books I kept at hand, while writing THE NORTHERN DEVIL. ISBN 0-8317-6482-1 |
| Ziel, Ron | American Locomotives in Historic Photographs, 1858 to 1949 |
Very high quality photographs of individual locomotives, each one with a detailed caption. A vital reference. |
