No railway journey on Earth can equal the Trans-Siberian between Moscow and Vladivostok. It is not just its vast length and the great variety of the lands and climes through which it passes. It is not just its history as the line that linked the huge territories which are Russia together. It is a dream which calls countless travellers to the adventure of the longest railway in the world. This new edition of a classic anthology takes us through the tremendous achievement of the railways construction across harsh, unsettled lands through the earliest journeys of Western travellers and the trains on which they travelled, and their descriptions of fellow travellers, food, scenery, domestic arrangements, adventures on and off the train, convicts, revolution and war as the train carried them through a lonely, lovely landscape.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Bryn ThomasIntroduction Deborah ManleyIntroduction to 1988 Edition Deborah Manley1 The DreamThe Trans-Siberian Railway Thundering Through the House Lesley Blanch, 1968From Moscow to Vladivostok Baedeker, 1914I'll Give You Siberia! Lesley Blanch, 1968The Sheer Size of It Bassett Digby, 1928Dreaming with Baedeker Lesley Blanch, 1968A Day in 1908 Lindon Bates JrTransport Across the Country A. Rado, 1929The Strategic Dream Sir Henry Norman 1901A Cure for the Insomniac Harry de Windt, 1901Looking Backward to the Future Lindon Bates Jr. 1908The Rossiya Westwards Paul Theroux, 19742 The Railway The Vast Enterprise James Young Simpson, 1897The Time has Come Guide to the Great Siberian Railway, 1900Underway Guide to the Great Siberian Railway, 1900Working on the Line James Young Simpson, 1897The Great Siberian Iron Road James Young Simpson, 1897Remission through Labour James Young Simpson, 1897Good in Parts William Oliver Greener, 1902Bailkal's Lurid Past Bassett Digby, 1928Crossing Lake Baikal Eric Newby, 1977Criminals and Ice-Breakers Sir Henry Norman, 19013 The TrainRailways and Other Means of Communication Baedeker, 1914The Dream of Service Harmon Tupper, 1965The Real Siberian Express Annette Meakin, 1900Variations Harmon Tupper, 1965Finery and Faults Sir Henry Norman, 1901The Siberian Train de Luxe Francis E. Clark, 1900Third Class into Siberia Bassett Digby and Richardson Wright, 1910Seventh Class in Trans-Baikal Francis E Clark, 1900Travelling Hard Helen Wilson and Elsie Mitchell, 1927The Bolshevik Train Malcom Burr, 1930Chai Maurice Baring, 1905How the Russian Eats! John Foster Fraser, 1901The Big Red Train Eric Newby, 1977The Toilets Deborah Manley, 1986Between the Carriages Deborah Manley, 19864 Preparations for the JourneyPolice and Passports Murray's Handbook for Travellers, 1893Essentials and Useful Items Bryn Thomas, 2007Life on the Train Bryn Thomas, 2007Clothing 1917 Russian Year Book Photography 1917 Russian Year Book For the Benefit of Photographers William Oliver Greener, 1903Taking Photographs Peter Fleming, 1933Photography Extract from Intourist booklet, 1986Literature Murray's Handbook for Travellers, 1893Blacked John Foster Fraser, 1901Russian Custom-House Murray's Handbook for Travellers in Russia, Poland and Finland, 18875 Revolution and WarPause for Revolution Maurice Baring, 1906To War by Train General Sir Brian Horrocks, 1919Prisoner of the Bolsheviks General Sir Brian Horrocks, 1919Journey to the East Doreen Stanford, 1919After the War Helen Wilson and Elsie Mitchell, 1927Railway Defence Noel Barber, 19396 Siberians, Travellers and WorkersSettling Siberia Bassett Digby and Richardson Wright, 1910Once a Convict Lindon Bates Jr, 1910At the Stations Francis E. Clark, 1900Fellow Passengers John Foster Fraser, 1901Fellow Passengers Bassett Digby and Richardson Wright, 1910 Businessmen Morgan Phillips Price, 1911Reading Together Maurice Baring, 1905The Train Staff Christopher Portway, 1970Undesirable Company Paul Theroux, 1974Fellow Tourists Bob Geldof, 19787 Into Russia and Onward from Moscow Routes from England to Russia Baedeker, 1914To Moscow with Love Annette Meakin, 1900Moscow John Foster Fraser, 1901The Start from Moscow John Foster Fraser, 1901Departure and Farewells Leo Deutsch, 1884Cattle Truck to Siberia Esther Hautzig, 1941The First Day Out John Foster Fraser, 1901Eastern Russia Michael Myers Shoemaker, 1902Left Behind Deborah Manley, 1984Perm: A Russian City Bryn Thomas, 2007First Stages John Foster Fraser, 1901Over the Urals Michael Myers Shoemaker, 1902Over the Urals George Kennan, 1891The Trans-Siberian Time Warp Bryn Thomas, 2007Europe: Asia George Kennan, 1891Life Aboard, 1933 Peter Fleming, 1933No Dining Car Malcom Burr, 1930Beyond the Urals John Foster Fraser, 1901 Onward from Chelyabinsk Michael Myers Shoemaker, 1902One Day in Ekaterinburg Eric Newby, 1977Third Class Through Siberia Bassett Digby and Richardson Wright, 1910Ugly Monotony Peter Fleming, 1933The Verstmen Samuel Turner, 1903Omsk (Zone time of the 5th Zone plus 3 hours) A. Rado, 1929Omsk A--- The Coming City Bassett Digby and Richardson Wright, 1910Omsk Baedeker, 1914The Post Train - Taiga - Tomsk Annette Meakin, 1900Tomsk - A City of Orgies and Education Bassett Digby and Richardson Wright, 1910The Tarakan Samuel Turner, 1903The Taiga Malcolm Burr, 1930Krasnoyarsk: A Siberian Commercial Town Morgan Phillips Price, 1910Trans-Siberian Excess Chris Moss, 20078 IrkutskContinuation of the Railway Journey to Irkutsk Baedeker, 1914Arriving at Irkutsk Lindon Bates Jr, 1908Hardly What One Would Expect Archibald Colquhoun, 1898Sights of Irkutsk Sir Henry Norman, 1901Irkutsk, the Unregenerate Bassett Digby and Richardson Wright, 1910Off the Big Red Train Eric Newby, 19779 Crossing Lake BaikalLake Baikal Guide to the Trans-Siberian Railway, 1900The World's Deepest Lake Bryn Thomas, 2007Crossing the Holy Sea Westwards Francis E. Clark, 1900The Winter Passage Michael Myers Shoemaker, 1902Across the Great Lake John Foster Fraser, 1901Baikal's Past Bassett Digby, 1928Baikal in Winter Maurice Baring, 190510 To Vladivostok From Irkutsk to Vladivostok Baedeker, 1914Transbaikalia Annette Meakin, 1900Chita Guide to the Trans-Siberian Railway, 1900Through Chita to Manchuria Michael Myers Shoemaker, 1902Mail to Transbaikalia Bassett Digby and Richardson Wright, 1910Crash! Peter Fleming, 1933On to Stretensk Bassett Digby and Richardson Wright, 1910The End in Sight Christopher Portway, 19704140 km. Vladivostock A. Rado, 1929Journey's End Eric Newby, 197711 Different Perspectives: East to WestExpress Trains from Vladivostock Marcus Taft, 1907Off from Vladivostock Francis E. Clark, 1899Gateway to the USSR Noel Barber, 1939From the Edge of the World Paul Theroux, 1974Khabarovsk Paul Theroux, 1974Stretensk to Irkutsk Francis E. Clark, 1900Out of Asia and into Europe Francis E. Clark, 1900Growing Siberia Noel Barber, 1939Along the Way Noel Barber, 1939End of the Journey Paul Theroux, 1974The Travellers' BiographiesAcknowledgements Index