Railway Rhymes

Pocket clothbound volumes from the world's greatest poets, and with a stunning range of anthologies. Each volume has an elegant jacket, full cloth sewn binding, silk ribbon marker and headbands, with gold stamping on front and spine and decorative endpapers. In size, price and presentation they make ideal gifts and are a joy to read and collect. More than eighty titles in print.

A beautiful gift book for lovers of poetry and railways! The idea Christmas present. Includes poets such as John Betjeman, Edward Thomas, Walter de la Mare, Thomas Hardy, Robert Louis Stevenson, WH Auden, TS Eliot, Philip Larkin and many more.

Peter Ashley is the author and photographer of the bestselling and critically acclaimed Unmitigated England, a record of his truly English passions, London Peculiars, More London Peculiars and Pastoral Peculiars. His love of stations and railway engineering was fully realised in Whistle Stops, an Everyman Pocket Book. He collaborated with Philip Wilkinson on books accompanying the BBC Restoration programmes and the ultimate guide to building types- The English Buildings Book. This year will see the publication of his More from Unmitigated England.

Railway Rhymes is probably the first time that the poetry of railways has been brought together into one dedicated volume. Here will certainly be found the old favourites - Philip Larkin's 'Whitsun Weddings', W.H. Auden's 'Night Mail', John Betjeman's 'Distant View of a Provincial Town', - but equally this little book is stuffed with forgotten gems like Edmund Blunden's 'Two Wars' and Patricia Beer's 'The Branch Line'. Divided up into chapters entitled Navigation, Engineering, Waiting, Travellingand Musing, Railway Rhymes is the perfect pocket companion for waiting room and train compartment alike

More From Unmitigated England

Peter Ashley is the author and photographer of London Peculiars, More London Peculiars and Pastoral Peculiars. He collaborated with Philip Wilkinson on books accompanying the BBC Restoration programmes and the ultimate guide to building types - The English Buildings Book.

More from Unmitigated England is just that. Even more from the pen and camera of Peter Ashley, whose bestselling Unmitigated England prompted A. N. Wilson in his Daily Telegraph column to call it 'an absolutely stunning illustrated book'. This new volume promises more of Peter Ashley's very English passions, including breweries, paintings, children's books, canals and Christmas; with everything illustrated from the author's seemingly inexhaustive collections of photographs, watercolours and scrapbook items. And once again with an irreverent and often funny commentary that reminds us of an England that is both in the past and waiting to be discovered.

Peter Ashley

Clive Aslet

'Open this book with reverence. It is a hymn to England - the old England, the England of beach huts and Constable skies.' Clive Aslet. 
This beautiful book acts both as a touchstone for people’s memories and as a guide to the visually lovely places and artefacts that we can still see and enjoy today, but as far away from a traditional ‘tourist’ guide as can be imagined. 
 
There is probably no illustrated book as eclectic as this. Where else will a Hornby clockwork train be happy alongside a Tiptree jam jar, or a Romney Marsh church rub along with a set of Len Deighton book jackets? A personal natural history of fungi and flowers will segue into an essay on Typhoo tea packets; London transports of delight into unique views of English market towns. 
 
Ruined Norfolk churches, the pleasures of seaside holidays, the mysteries of landmark fir trees. All these things are written about with passion, knowledge and humour.

Peter Ashley

Books by Peter Ashley

Series by Peter Ashley

Everyman's Library Barbreck

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter