{"product_id":"george-stephenson-hunter-davies-9781837050314","title":"George Stephenson: The Remarkable Life of the Founder of the Railways","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGeorge Stephenson \u003c\/b\u003eis the ultimate self-made man. Born in the pit village of Wylam, near Newcastle, and denied a formal education, he would go on to invent machines that transformed the world. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e From the moment he began work in the mines at the age of ten, Stephenson displayed an extraordinary gift for repairing and designing machinery, eventually becoming the colliery's resident engineer. Yet he faced relentless class prejudice: Sir Humphry Davy, later President of the Royal Society, dismissed the young pitman as \"a thief -- and not a clever thief.\" It was one of many battles Stephenson fought against the establishment. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Undeterred, he went on to build the world's first public railways -- the Stockton and Darlington in 1825 and the Liverpool-Manchester in 1830. While his groundbreaking achievements and his famous locomotive \u003ci\u003eRocket\u003c\/i\u003e are well known, far less is remembered about the man himself. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eGeorge Stephenson\u003c\/i\u003e, a vivid portrait emerges of a self-taught, determined, and occasionally irascible Geordie whose vision and perseverance laid the foundations for the modern industrial world. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Hunter Davies\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1837050317\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781837050314\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e History Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/07\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 384\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback","brand":"Hunter Davies","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47965521903871,"sku":"9781837050314","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_7831a563-6912-46c3-812c-c31b722f1c1f.jpg?v=1767281132","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/george-stephenson-hunter-davies-9781837050314","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}