{"product_id":"the-iron-road-in-the-prairie-state-the-story-of-illinois-railroading-hardback-9780253019066","title":"The Iron Road in the Prairie State; The Story of Illinois Railroading (Hardback) 9780253019066","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eThe Iron Road in the Prairie State\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eThe Story of Illinois Railroading\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eSimon Cordery (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780253019066\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHardback, published 20 January 2016\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e240 pages, 66 b\u0026amp;w illus., 8 maps\u003cbr\u003e27.9 x 21.6 x 2.3 cm, 1.043 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Cordery details the history and construction of Illinois railroads and the colorful cast of characters who played a part in its creation.\"—\u003ci\u003eThe Chicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"What makes this work a true rarity is the author's inclusion of larger scholarly themes, such as corporate consolidation and US cultural trends. As a result, the story of one state's railroads becomes a narrative on the larger history of railroads in the US from the 19th to 20th centuries.  A significant contribution to the study of rail transportation in Illinois and the US. . . . Highly recommended.\"—\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"[An] effective overview of the state that gave us railroad lawyer Abraham Lincoln, Pullman, rail labor strife, Electro-Motive, Civil War heroism, Samuel Insull, and a host of other milestones.\"—\u003ci\u003eClassic Trains\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Though readers might reasonably expect a volume twice, even thrice the size of this one, it's Cordery's welcome accomplishment to have told this complex story so concisely and accessibly — all the while skillfully situating Illinois railroad development in a national context.\"—\u003ci\u003eThe Lexington Quarterly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Author Simon Cordery possesses a detailed command of the extensive literature on the subject . . . and has a particular talent for concise and effective descriptions of the complex financial and organizational histories of the many railroads that served Illinois.\"—\u003ci\u003eThe Annuals of Iowa\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"One of the book's remarkable strengths, in fact, is its contextuality: labor, social, political and economic issues driving Illinois railroad history are all deftly interwoven in its fabric. . . . Cordery is a pleasure to read and the book is peppered with informative allusions and anecdotes.\"—\u003ci\u003eThe Lexington Quarterly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"In this first-of-its-kind history, full of entertaining anecdotes and colorful characters, Simon Cordery describes the explosive growth of Illinois railroads and its impact on America.\"—\u003ci\u003eS. Gaugian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"The author skillfully weaves the story into the larger context of national events and developments which had a significant impact on railroads in the Prairie State. This excellent volume gives the fascinating subject matter here the treatment it truly deserves.\"—\u003ci\u003eThe Michigan Railfan\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"This is a richly detailed, well-documented, and nicely illustrated volume, fully in keeping with the high standards set by series editors George M. Smerk and H. Roger Grant.\"—\u003ci\u003eOhio Valley History\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"This remarkable and insightful book offers for the first time a rich narrative about Illinois history through the lens of emerging railroads from their muddy beginnings to the present day. Simon Cordery has succeeded in capturing a unique national understanding of the industry's history by focusing on how railroads and the state of Illinois evolved simultaneously in separate yet interdependent ways.\"—William E. Greenwood, \u003ci\u003eCOO Burlington Northern Railroad, retired\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"The Iron Road in the Prairie State is an informative and beautifully written overview of railroading in Illinois, the hub of the national transportation network. Through the birth, growth, decline, and resurgence of the railroads, Simon Cordery has admirably set local developments in the broader context of national changes in business, labor, and regulatory patterns.\"—Albert J. Churella, author of The Pennsylvania Railroad: Building an Empire\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1836, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas agreed on one thing: Illinois needed railroads. Over the next fifty years, the state became the nation's railroad hub, with Chicago at its center. Speculators, greed, growth, and regulation followed as the railroad industry consumed unprecedented amounts of capital and labor. A nationwide market resulted, and the Windy City became the site of opportunities and challenges that remain to this day. In this first-of-its-kind history, full of entertaining anecdotes and colorful characters, Simon Cordery describes the explosive growth of Illinois railroads and its impact on America. Cordery shows how railroading in Illinois influenced railroad financing, the creation of a national economy, and government regulation of business. Cordery's masterful chronicle of rail development in Illinois from 1837 to 2010 reveals how the state's expanding railroads became the foundation of the nation's rail network.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePreface \u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgments \u003cbr\u003e List of Abbreviations \u003cbr\u003e 1. Preliminaries \u003cbr\u003e 2. Development Delayed \u003cbr\u003e 3. Optimism Revived \u003cbr\u003e 4. Cultivating the Prairie \u003cbr\u003e 5. Financing Railroads \u003cbr\u003e 6. Civil War, Fire, and Expansion \u003cbr\u003e 7. Illinois Railroad Labor \u003cbr\u003e 8. A Kaleidoscope of Regulations \u003cbr\u003e 9. Panic and Innovation \u003cbr\u003e 10. Bridge Building and \"Over-Building\" \u003cbr\u003e 11. Excursions and Interurbans \u003cbr\u003e 12. Coal and Competition \u003cbr\u003e 13. Progressive Regulation \u003cbr\u003e 14. World War I and the 1920s \u003cbr\u003e 15. Depression, Dieselization, and War \u003cbr\u003e 16. Post-War Challenges \u003cbr\u003e 17. National Solutions? \u003cbr\u003e 18. Salvation \u003cbr\u003e Epilogue \u003cbr\u003e Notes\u003cbr\u003e Bibliography \u003cbr\u003e Index\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Indiana University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52523959681304,"sku":"9780253019066","price":40.19,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/the-iron-road-in-the-prairie-state-the-story-of-illinois-railroading-hardback-9780253019066","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}