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World Book Day – How the railways spread a love of the written word

Discussion in 'National Railway Museum' started by Sam Potts -, Mar 6, 2014.

  1. Sam Potts -

    Sam Potts - Guest

    Happy World Book Day! Did you know that the railways had a huge impact helping spread a love of reading throughout the population? Below Karen, our Librarian, tells you how and shares one of the rarer books within our collection.

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    A rare copy of a Yellowback within our collection


    This is a rare copy of a Yellowback book. Yellowbacks were produced for sale at railway bookstalls such as W H Smith. They largely had bright yellow or gaudy covers as a marketing ploy to make them stand out from their more sedate shelf-partners and encourage the burgeoning commuting public to part with their money.

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    W H Smith bookstall, Manchester Victoria Station, c 1926.
    © National Railway Museum / SSPL


    It’s an important part of the collection as it is a good example of how railways were the facilitators in bringing literature to the general public and tells us a bit about passengers’ travelling habits, tastes and pastimes. What better object for World Book Day than a book that helped our ancestors foster the reading habit!

    For more information on our amazing collection of books see our website.

    Filed under: Museum news [​IMG] [​IMG]

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