A superb facsimile edition of one of the most celebrated of all colour plate books.The opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway on September 15th, 1830 marks the end of the experimental period in rail transport history and the beginning of what has come to be known as 'The Railway Age'.The new line attracted great public interest and there was much demand for prints, books commemorative medals and other souvenirs. Rudolf Ackermann, the great fine art and colour-plate book publisher, commissioned the promising young architect and designer Thomas Talbot Bury (1811-1877) to draw a series of views of the outstanding features of the Railway. The resulting thirteen hand-coloured aquatint engravings were published in 1831 together with a short descriptive text serving as a guide to travellers on the railway.Bury's 'Coloured Views on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway' is undoubtedly the finest of the various series of prints and has long been a collector's item. Unfortunately, few complete copies of the work have survived as it has suffered at the hands of the 'vandals' who break up fine books for the profitable sale of the prints. It is a work of art possessed by few and admired by many.This facsimile of the first edition is printed to the highest standard and produced at a price within the reach of a wide section of the general public. And there is the added bonus that the book contains three large extra plates which were issued as optional supplements to the original publication. The pair of Ackermann 'long prints', 'Travelling on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway', are perhaps the best known of all railway prints and 'View of the Intersection Bridge on the line of the St Helens and Runcorn Railway' ... is certainly one of the rarest.Mr George Ottley, author of 'A Bibliography of British Railway History' , contributes an authoritative historical introduction to the Railway.
