I found The Great Train Robbery at my local Half-Price Books, stuck on the clearance shelves and marked down to a dollar. At that price I'm willing to take a risk on almost any book, no matter how awful it looks or how battered it is; after a quick glance at the synopsis on the back, I dropped the book into my basket.

I am so glad that I did. I've always loved pop-history books and this is one of the better ones I've read. Granted, its 1975 publication date means that it does things a little differently than modern pop history--for one thing, there is no bibliography at all--but it's a great story, it's well-written and engaging, and the author knows just when to slide in a digression on some facet of Victorian life. I said "Huh, I never knew that" or "Huh, I never thought of that" several times.

I do not actually know how many liberties were taken with the source material--and I suspect there were a few--but I don't think I care. This is some good reading.