Venice Simplon Orient-Express: The World's Most Celebrated Train

by Shirley Sherwood

Imbued with an aura of elegance, romance, excitement, and mystery, the Orient Express has long been a symbol of luxury travel in Europe. After its final run in May 1977, a group of investors tracked down and purchased more than thirty old 1920s cars from the train and had them lovingly restored by expert craftsmen. Today, the Venice Simplon Orient-Express transports passengers between London or Dusseldorf and Venice in exquisite art deco surroundings. Lavishly illustrated, this fascinating volume traces the story of this restoration project as well as that of luxury train travel in Europe. The history of each car in the Venice Simplon Orient-Express is detailed, revealing links with politics, royalty, and international intrigue.

Genres: History, Travel

188 pages, Hardcover

First published July 28, 1983

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The chapters on the restoration of the train and setting up the train service are interesting with good photos. Unfortunately the end chapters are just descriptions of various trips and are quite dull.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this book in my grandma's library and I love it! A very fun history book of this train.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells some of the story of the original Orient Express and of the work require to recreate it. Mrs Sherwood is clearly very proud of the the train and a bit of a train buff. The book is a pleasant read with lots of photos and it written not so much as a text book and more like someone just telling you what they did.

So far I have only travelled on the British Pullman as part of a day trip. I bought this book as I am thinking about going to Venice on the VSOE.

If you are thinking about taking a trip on the train or just want to dream then its well worth a read.

Alex

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

The coverage of the train and the individual cars is rather brief, maybe for the best since Ms. Sherwood is not a historian. The chapters on the restoration of the equipment are fascinating. This was truly a labor of love to rescue these old carriages and assemble trains to evoke the heyday of deluxe train travel. From London to Venice in this case. If you saw and enjoyed the BBC series on Art Deco and especially the episode on this train, you'll enjoy this book as well.

[Michael Heath-Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book on glamorous old trains from the great age of travel.