The History Book Club discussion

This is a thread which will focus on the "history of carriages".

Year of the Horseless Carriage: 1801

by Genevieve Foster

Synopsis:

The Year of the Horseless Carriage: 1801, presents the dawn of the 19th century with all its brilliant advancements in transportation, communication, and technology. While the world of technology is progressing rapidly, human rights and liberty are variously being trampled or rising. The megalomaniac Napoleon is proclaiming "liberty, equality, and fraternity" to a war-weary Europe, Jefferson is contemplating the largest land purchase in the history of the world, and Toussaint L'Ouverture is fighting for liberty in Haiti. Robert Livingston, Robert Fulton, Richard Trevithick, Beethoven, Lewis and Clark, Sacajawea, and Dolley Madison are all playing their parts. In this memorable retelling, youthful readers will come to appreciate why Foster was convinced that "history is drama."

Competition Driving on a Shoestring

by Jimmy Johnson (no photo)

Synopsis:

An introduction to competitive driving trials for single horse or pony, guiding the novice through all the complexities.

Horse Drawn Carriages

by Donald John Smith (no photo)

Synopsis:

There is more than a touch of romance about a coach and horses, whether it be the splendid state coach in a royal procession drawn by a team of ornately harnessed greys, or the mail-coach clattering over the cobbles of an inn's courtyard, pausing to replace its steaming horses with a fresh team.

In the eighteenth century regular stage-coaches linked London with principal towns. Railways took over long-distance traffic in the nineteenth century, but horse-drawn vehicles continued to serve as cabs, station wagons, omnibuses and private conveyances until displaced by motor vehicles.

Many can now be found in museums, but a considerable number of privately driven carriages are still in use, and the sport of driving is undergoing a revival.

This book traces the evolution of horse-drawn passenger vehicles, tells how they were made and driven, and describes the types of carriage most popular in Britain and some foreign designs. It is a valuable guide for the enthusiast, and a fascinating introduction for the person who may not know a landau from a barouche.