Julian Holland's "amazing" facts etc

See also Tom Quinn's Memories of steam where some dubious captions are credited to Julian Hollan

Amazing and extraordinary railway facts. Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 2007. 128pp.
The first is rather better than the second and has a rather clearer character, namely a sort of anthology which includes poetry (virtually absent in the sequel), and fewer of the primitive drawings. There are brief biographis of Churchward, Gresley, Stanier and Bulleid; locomotive speed records (including those by City of Truro and Mallard); the diesel hydraulic locomotives of the Western Region; locomotive exchanges; Snowdon Mountain Railway; the Welsh narrow gauge lines including the Welsh Highland Railway; Royal Trains; streamlined locomotives (Duplicates some of the materail on speed records), Bradshaw, movie films which featured railways; Frank Hornby; island railways; Swindon Mechanics Institution; Ron White; cliff funiculars and railway horses. Sources are not given. Pictures are poorly reproduced and are seldom essenrial. Enjoyable to dip into.

More amazing and extraordinary railway facts. Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 2010. 128pp.
Julian Holland provides another viewpoint for the information regurgitation or recycling industry. Nothing new is written; there are no fresh insights. Most of the illustrations are childish or remind one of the early Kidner books. Even the publisher is not quite what it seems to be and used to be noted for its high standards. But the general public are prepared to buy this literary merchandise and the jolly dolly librarians in Norfolk (at least) are prepared to waste their limited public funds on this type of material rather than the excellent literature produced by Oakwood and Wild Swan. Probably widely available in Tesco along with their watered pig products.

Steaming across Britain. AA Publishing. 256pp.
See review by DWM in Backtrack, 2013, 27, 61

Andrew Fowler's The railway pocket bible

The railway pocket bible. Richmond (Surrey): Crimson Publishing, 2011. 172pp.
There are at least twenty one other pocket bibles on topics ranging from wine to pregnancy, including ones for cat and dog lovers. The work on railways is highly selective on what is included and navigation is dependent upon a fairly extensive contents listing: thus if one wishes to read about Euston it is under "Famous railway stations" on page 121 (at least the reader is spared "train stations"). The other sections are in order: history of railways; the trains themselves (includes locomotives); railway roles; famous trains and their routes; then the stations; a gricer's guide, model railways and a glossary (with thirty nine extries, none beginning with letters h to l inclusive). The Telegraph describes it as "a gift book full of trivia". Kevin found it by chance in Sheringham Public Library; there are two others in the library system plus a long blurb on the OPAC. This is a library which buys few Oakwood Press titles. Its list of railway magazines excludes Backtrack, British Railway Illustrated, Great Western Railway Journal, just a few of those stocked by some W.H. Smith's..

The Railwayman's pocket book. London Anova Books, 2011
At least contains some information about Dick Hardy and his contribution to railway life.