Presents the story of automobiles, trucks, buses and motorcycles from the first prototypes to the present day

Most books about Britain's transport history have concentrated upon canals and railways. It is now clear that a great deal of traffic went by road even before turnpikes, and that goods as well as passenger services were much more highly developed than used to be supposed. This book is an important survey of road transport over the past three centuries. The authors summarise the new evidence and arguments and explain why we need to take a longer view of the subject. They shed new light on the importance of horse-drawn freight in the eighteenth century before the introduction of turnpikes, offset the undue attention paid to the railways in the nineteenth century, and stress that motor transport's present great importance only dates from the 1950s. A full bibliography is provided for more extended study.

This is the first comprehensive history of the world's roads, highways, bridges, and the people and vehicles that traverse them, from prehistoric times to the present. Encyclopedic in its scope, fascinating in its details, Ways of the World is a unique work for reference and browsing. Maxwell Lay considers the myriad aspects of roads and their users: the earliest pathways, the rise of wheeled vehicles and animals to pull them, the development of surfaced roads, the motives for road and bridge building, and the rise of cars and their influence on roads, cities, and society. The work is amply illustrated, well indexed and cross-referenced, and includes a chronology of road history and a full bibliography. It is indispensable for anyone interested in travel, history, geography, transportation, cars, or the history of technology.