This biography explores the life of the Reverend W. Awdry, the man who created Thomas the Tank Engine, revealing the story of how the railway series first came to be written and how the exploits and disasters on the real railways were used to create the escapades of Thomas and his friends on their fictional line. Illustrated with family photos, pictures from the books and railway photos and memorabilia, this 50th-anniversary biography also includes special features on the engines and events that inspired the series.
 Trade In this Item for up to £1.80
Trade in The Thomas the Tank Engine Man: A Biography for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £1.80, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Learn more
|
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
By Pilch
Format:Hardcover
I began revisiting the Thomas The Tank Engine world in adulthood and started reading articles and forums on the programmes & books I so adored as a child. I wanted to know more about the people behind them. One piece caught my eye about how the Rev Wilbert Awdry came to resent the TV series, and how some of the people behind the TV series couldn't believe Awdry could criticise them after they'd made him `rich'. There seemed to be a lot going on `behind the scenes', so I reserved this book.
I understand that in biographies there's going to be a bit of background; however, do we really need 90 pages of family history? It seems the Awdry family were ones for documenting absolutely everything and so we get stories and poems from his ancestors. Some of these add insight; the majority however seem to have been put in just for the sake of it.
Once it gets going the book does start to pick up: how the books came into being, and how they became so popular; how Wilbert felt about his son taking over as the Railway Series author. Wilbert was essentially forced into writing a book a year, whilst keeping on top of his family and congregation commitments, yet wasn't making a huge commission from the books.
Other topics seem to get almost brushed over: the TV series, which introduced the characters to so many, doesn't really get much of a look in. How did it come into being; how much input did Wilbert have (if any); how did the Reverend feel about eventually losing control of his creation, and not really profiting from the huge financial machine it became? Sadly these questions aren't answered.
It is a decent read, yet though some big questions are answered, some are left unasked. This feels like a real labour of love for Brian Sibley and he is to be commended: this is an interesting insight into the Thomas The Tank Engine Man, let down largely by the masses of family `history', much of which feels like filler
I understand that in biographies there's going to be a bit of background; however, do we really need 90 pages of family history? It seems the Awdry family were ones for documenting absolutely everything and so we get stories and poems from his ancestors. Some of these add insight; the majority however seem to have been put in just for the sake of it.
Once it gets going the book does start to pick up: how the books came into being, and how they became so popular; how Wilbert felt about his son taking over as the Railway Series author. Wilbert was essentially forced into writing a book a year, whilst keeping on top of his family and congregation commitments, yet wasn't making a huge commission from the books.
Other topics seem to get almost brushed over: the TV series, which introduced the characters to so many, doesn't really get much of a look in. How did it come into being; how much input did Wilbert have (if any); how did the Reverend feel about eventually losing control of his creation, and not really profiting from the huge financial machine it became? Sadly these questions aren't answered.
It is a decent read, yet though some big questions are answered, some are left unasked. This feels like a real labour of love for Brian Sibley and he is to be commended: this is an interesting insight into the Thomas The Tank Engine Man, let down largely by the masses of family `history', much of which feels like filler
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars
2 reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Obviously a labour of love by Mr. Sibley...
3 Jan 2007
By JAMES GRATTON
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
A fascinating and insightful book about the Rev. Awdry, along with the Sodor mythos that he created. Were it not for Brian's biography of WVA, many details about the man would have been lost forever when the Rev. passed away in 1997. If you can find and purchase a copy of the book, you won't be able to put it down once you begin reading it. I agree with Mr. M. Clutterbuck that it's a shame that this book is now out-of-print.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential source for Thomas the Tank Engine fans
10 Jun 2006
By Turbomotive
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
A superb companion for anybody who has enjoyed the Railway Series by the Rev W.V. Awdry or its "Thomas the Tank Engine" TV spin-off. It is the definitive biography of Wilbert Awdry and includes the story of how his talking engines came into being and achieved subsequent global success. It is packed with illustrations and beautifully written. It is a huge shame that this book is currently out of print.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see both reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
