The Railway Journey: The Industrialization of Time and Space in the 19th Century

Rating:
Summary: only for school only for school
Review: In the last few decades historians --following sociologists such as Durkheim-- have turned their attention to the ways in which new technologies have altered people's experience of space and time. Schivelbusch's small piece is a pretty good (but light-weight) example of this genre. He reveals some interesting trivia along the way: he tells, for example, how padded upolstery was invented to assuage the fears of first-class passengers brought about by the roughness of new speed; he shows that compartment design in passenger cars reflect the contrasting social values of Europe and America. But he is at his most interesting when describing the ways in which the railroad created new conceptual forms of geographical distance by obliterating the spaces in between destinations. Furthermore, by creating the need for standardized time-tables, railways nurtured a standardized/homogenized conception of time. Local idiocyncracies became less important. Doubtless true national identities could never have emerged without revolutions in transportation and communications. A book that takes these ideas much further is Stephen Kern's excellent work "The Culture of Time and Space." If this genre interests you, Kern's book is an important read.

Rating:
Summary: an excellent survey of the impact of railway travel
Review: In the last few decades historians --following sociologists such as Durkheim-- have turned their attention to the ways in which new technologies have altered people's experience of space and time. Schivelbusch's small piece is a pretty good (but light-weight) example of this genre. He reveals some interesting trivia along the way: he tells, for example, how padded upolstery was invented to assuage the fears of first-class passengers brought about by the roughness of new speed; he shows that compartment design in passenger cars reflect the contrasting social values of Europe and America. But he is at his most interesting when describing the ways in which the railroad created new conceptual forms of geographical distance by obliterating the spaces in between destinations. Furthermore, by creating the need for standardized time-tables, railways nurtured a standardized/homogenized conception of time. Local idiocyncracies became less important. Doubtless true national identities could never have emerged without revolutions in transportation and communications. A book that takes these ideas much further is Stephen Kern's excellent work "The Culture of Time and Space." If this genre interests you, Kern's book is an important read.

Rating:
Summary: only for school only for school
Review: This boring look at the Industrialization of Europe by the railroad will have you hating to turn the page. It is horrifying, read 20 pages take a break (probably a nap) then try and read 20 more.