As the title suggests, this new book from John Mathews covers a lot of ground - geographically and chronologically speaking. It is arranged logically by area beginning in Nottinghamshire, weaving across the country as it heads north to finish in the North East.
The book is arranged in the classic album format, which always works well if two things are true - the photos are up to scratch and the captions are of a high standard. Thankfully, both are true in this case.
Photos come from the author and a selection of the most respected names in railway photography, and are well chosen to show the great variety of traffic which has graced the rails in the chosen period. Captions too are of a very high standard - uniformly infomative and interesting, adding context to each shot, rather than mearly describing the scene as some books seem to.
Preston features strongly in the North-West chapter along with other local spots.
All in all, this is a quality publication, printed in large-format hard-back and running to over 140 pages.
Available from the publisher or from all the usual shops and online sellers.
