Christian Wolmar

'Fire & Steam' tells the dramatic story of the people and events that shaped the world's first railway network, one of the most impressive engineering achievements in history.

In this beautifully illustrated book, renowned transportation journalist Christian Wolmar celebrates the vision and determination of the ambitious pioneers who developed the railways that would dominate the globe.

From the acclaimed author of 'Fire and Steam' and 'Blood, Iron and Gold' comes 'Engines of War' which tells the dramatic story of how the birth and spread of the railways shaped the ways wars were fought and won.

Available for the first time in three separate volumes, To the Edge of the World is a seafaring adventure in the tradition of Patrick O'Brian, chartering the lives of Captain Robert Fitz Roy and Charles Darwin, their friendship, and the historical voyage that ultimately drove them apart. In 1831, FitzRoy and Darwin - a Christian Tory and a liberal naturalist - board the HMS Beagle and set sail for Tierra del Fuego. As they travel around the world, exploring the coasts of Patagonia and surveying the Galapagos Islands, the two men forge a lifelong bond while debating morality, nationality, biology, fate, and religion. And as Darwin formulates his theory of evolution, their friendship is fast overshadowed by their differences as Darwin destroys everything FitzRoy stands for.