The Illustrated Railway Anecdote Book
$45.00
Secondhand hardcover good condition
Published by Ward, Lock & Co., London (Fleet Street)
Mid–late 19th century (likely c. 1860s–1880s based on publisher imprint)
A delightful Victorian-era collection of railway stories, humour, and real-life accounts from the early days of rail travel—produced at a time when the railway was still a relatively new and transformative force in society.
Books like this were designed for railway passengers themselves, offering light, entertaining reading during journeys—essentially the Victorian equivalent of in-transit entertainment.
Features:
Engraved frontispiece illustration
Period typography and layout
Early railway cultural history content
Compact, portable format typical of travel-era books
Binding:
Original half leather with marbled boards
Classic Victorian marbling (visually strong piece)
Condition:
Spine heavily worn with loss at head and edges
Boards rubbed and scuffed
Internal pages: generally clean with foxing
Structurally intact
This sits nicely in that category of “honest, handled Victorian book”—not pristine, but very authentic..
Collections: ALL BOOKS, ALL PRODUCTS, HISTORY, NON-FICTION BOOKS, NOSTALGIA, VINTAGE BOOKS
Type: NON FICTION
Category: A001, BOOKS, BRITISH RAIL HISTORY, HISTORY, NON FICTION, NOSTALGIA, RAILWAYS, VINTAGE
frequently asked questions
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A: All our books are stored, catalogued, and shipped from our bookshop in Kenepuru, Porirua.
Each listing represents a real, physical copy in stock. This is a photo of the actual book! -
Orders within New Zealand usually arrive in 2-3 working days (allow extra for rural delivery). We use Aramex (Tracked), your parcel will be picked up by the Courier from our shop at 3.30pm (Monday to Friday) so if you order over the weekend, add a little extra time.
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A: Yes — local pickup is available, we are at Unit 2, 55 Kenepuru Drive Porirua - we usually can have it ready within the hour.
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A: Yes. Every title is pre-owned; the condition is written in the product description. If we got it wrong, or you are unhappy, let us know and we will make it right.
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A: Yes, each book is photographed individually. If you want more photos, we would be more than happy to add them, just ask!
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A: Each book is individually priced based on its current market value, condition, and availability. Most of our books are collectable, vintage, many are hard to find in the 'wild'. We use actual 'sold' prices as a benchmark (Trademe, Ebay & Dunbar Slone) We try to price below market average to encourage people to start to resell books as a side hustle! We love to do bulk deals, just drop us a message!