Bundle – Changing Times + Rise and Demise of the Bus Map

Description

Book 1: Changing Times – A History of the Transport Timetable

Step inside the world of timetables—the essential, intricate documents that mapped Britain’s transport revolution. From tide tables and coach lists to the dense, mesmerising railway charts of the Victorian era, this book charts the rise of a specialised medium that guided travellers and defined networks. Rich in anecdotes, design quirks and historical depth, it’s an irresistible read for anyone who loves railways, transport ephemera or the hidden systems behind great journeys.

Conrad Smith’s fascination with numbers and railways has shaped both his professional and personal lives. A mathematician by training and a train enthusiast from boyhood on Tyneside, he draws on a deep understanding of how numbers work to offer a richly informed, warmly human account of railway timekeeping.

Petroc Trelawny (BBC Radio 3) writes:

“Conrad Smith has written a masterful book which embraces both the great romance and the essential practicality of the railway timetable.  The illustrations are plentiful and deeply satisfying – early advertisements, brightly coloured brochures, beautifully drawn maps, and the information-rich columns of the timetables themselves.”

Book 2:  The Rise and Demise of the Bus Map

Using 220 historical bus, tram and trolleybus maps, John Davies tells the story of Britain’s bus services over the last 120 years or so. Operators took pride in producing high-quality fold-out paper bus maps to promote their services and encourage residents and visitors to use them. Throughout an era of relentless social, political and technological change, bus services and maps evolved and adapted, up to the present day where digital is supplanting the paper map – adding capability, losing some things in the process.

In collaboration with Timetable World, the maps can be further explored online at full resolution. Additional maps and timetables are available.

John Davies is a lifelong enthusiastic user of buses and maps, known for his book The Red Atlas: How the Soviet Union Secretly Mapped the World.

Lord Peter Hendy of Richmond Hill CBE writes:

“John Davies has treated this subject with scholarly rigour, precision – and also, clearly, love. His book will be treasured by many – including me – and is well worth buying, and reading, not just once, but several times. Each map tells a story, and there are many of them in here! I hope you enjoy what is a wonderful, colourful, and informative, insight into the world of bus maps.”