Commuters : a history of a British way of life / Simon Webb.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Webb, Simon, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Commuters--Great Britain--History.

Commuters.

Great Britain.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (167 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates) : illustrations

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Barnsley, England : Pen & Sword History, 2016.

Summary:

Before the Industrial Revolution, everyone lived within short walking distance of their workplace. However, all of this has now changed and many people commute large distances to work, often taking around one hour in each direction. We are now used to being stuck in traffic, crammed onto a train, rushing for connecting trains and searching for parking spaces close to the station or our workplace. Commuters explores both the history and present practice of commuting; examining how it has shaped our cities and given rise to buses, underground trains and suburban railways. Drawing upon both primary sources and modern research, Commuters tells the story of a way of life followed by millions of British workers. With sections on topics such as fictional commuters and the psychology of commuting;this is a book for everybody who has ever had to face that gruelling struggle to get to the office in time.

Contents:

Intro

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

List of Plates

Introduction

Chapter 1: 'Walking Suburbs': The Birth of Commuting

Chapter 2: Paddle Steamers and Steam Trains: The Start of Public Transport in Cities

Chapter 3: From Bob Cratchit to Reginald Perrin: The Commuter in Fiction

Chapter 4: The Advent of the Omnibus: A Middle-Class Mode of Transport

Chapter 5: Expanding Cities and Opening Minds: The Working-Class Commuter

Chapter 6: Exploring the Liminal Zone: The Psychology of Commuting

Chapter 7: Beneath the Earth: The First Underground Trains

Chapter 8: Electric Trams and Motor Buses: Commuting in the First Half of the Twentieth Century

Chapter 9: Lynching and Bombs: Death and the Commuter

Chapter 10: Metroland and Becontree: A Third of the British Population become Commuters

Chapter 11: 'With Integral Garage': The Inexorable Rise of the Commuting Motorist

Chapter 12: Strap-hangers and the Rush Hour: The Etymology of Commuting

Chapter 13: Gentrification, Densification and the End of the Commuter

Bibliography.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781473862937

1473862930

9781473862920

1473862922