About the Author

James D. Dilts is an independent scholar and writer. He is the co-author of A Guide to Baltimore Architecture and the co-editor of Baltimore's Cast Iron Buildings and Architectural Ironwork.

Reviews

"A comprehensive account of the legendary B & O... Dilts recounts all aspects of surveying, civil engineering, steam locomotion, and labor... Anchored in sober fact, adorned by 80 photos of people, bridges, and tunnels, this is a railroad history that can't be bested in its special arena. - Booklist "Dilts has immortalized himself by writing the definitive history of the construction of the B & O. ... The Great Road is a masterful scholarly work and a delight to read. It has something for everyone, from high finance and dirty politics to thrilling accounts of labor riots and wrecks." - Railroad History "One of the most important studies ever on an individual American railroad. ... The book is beautifully designed and edited, with a large number of attractive illustrations, including historic maps." - Choice "The Great Road is clearly the definitive history of the building of the first regional railroad in America. It should be welcomed by all those interested in the development of internal improvements in the first half of the nineteenth century." - Business History Review "The Great Road - the most clearly detailed account of a national enterprise I have ever read - will surely awaken a profound sense of recognition and nostalgia." - Yale Review