BOOK AND GIFT REVIEWS
Valuable record of a changing world. Picture reproduction on rear cover.
Don’t be put off by the rather uninspiring title – this book is a classic. The author was fortunate enough to arrive from England at Trinity College, Dublin, in 1958, and soon found an outlet for his railway interest. Steam on the GNR(I) main line to Belfast and further west was still rampant, along with many remnants of the CIÉ steam operation, plus the Ulster Transport Authority. Happily, Natzio was able to equip himself with a van and a camera, touring the country recording scenes which were to vanish in a few short years. The result is a superb 160-page volume of colour photographs, all well reproduced apart from, bizarrely, the one on the rear cover. The captions are exceptionally well researched and skilfully set the context for each photograph. Little had changed on the railways of Ireland for years, but a revolution was in the offing, and we are fortunate that Natzio was able to record the end of an era. Highly recommended.
