TO THE SEA BY TRAIN: THE GOLDEN AGE OF RAILWAY TRAVEL (PB)

A staple of British life for decades, the seaside getaway was inextricable from the train, in whose compartments holidaymakers were shunted from smog-choked cities to sandy coves. With his signature wit and anecdotal style, Andrew Martin captures an era defined by its railways: from the development of Brighton and Scarborough into pleasure resorts, and the introduction of bank holidays and two-day weekends, to the advent of cheap flights and the British coastal resort's subsequent decline.