Bradshaw's Handbook

Collector’s item, landmark in the history of the tour guide, snapshot of Britain in the 1860s – Bradshaw’s Handbook deserves a place on the bookshelf of any traveller, railway enthusiast, historian or anglophile. Produced as the British railway network was reaching its zenith, and as tourism by rail became a serious pastime for the better off, it was the first national tourist guide specifically organized around railway journeys, and to this day offers a glimpse through the carriage window at a Britain long past. This is a facsimile of the actual book – often referred to as ‘Bradshaw’s Guide’ – that inspired the ‘Great British Railway Journeys’ television series, possibly the only surviving example of the 1863 edition. It is an exact copy with a removable belly-band.

George Bradshaw became famous for producing the world's most successful and longest running combined railway timetable — a publication to be found in the library of every Victorian traveller. But in the middle of the 19th century, with the railway network reaching its peak, his company shifted focus to tourist guides, such as this one, designed for the rail traveller.