London Trolleybus Chronology 1931-62

Step aboard for a delightfully electric ramble through London’s not-quite-forgotten future. London Trolleybus Chronology 1931–62 (1997) by Mick Webber (Ian Allan) is the sort of book that whispers, “I know exactly which wire you’re thinking of,” and then produces an impeccably dated entry to prove it. It’s a love letter to an age when buses hummed, poles grazed the sky, and the biggest drama on the commute was a dewirement and a conductor with opinions.

This is a chronology with personality: neat, clipped, and satisfyingly precise—like a timetable that actually kept its promises. From first sparks to final bow-out, it traces the city’s trolleybus era with anorak-pleasing focus and just enough nostalgia to make you look up at modern streets and imagine the quiet fizz overhead. It’s London transport history with the receipts, the routes, and the rhythm of a capital learning to glide.

Why this copy? Because it comes from the charmingly frank emporium known as Crappy Old Books, where truth in advertising meets good taste in stock. Condition: Very Good—which here translates to “handled with care, not with a ham sandwich.” The sort of copy you could read on a bus (electric or otherwise) without fretting about the corners, then place on your shelf with a prim little smile.

What you’ll get (besides bragging rights):

• A date-by-date, line-by-line odyssey through three decades of quietly heroic current.

• The rise, shine, and graceful switch-off of London’s wired workhorses.

• Enough chronological precision to satisfy the inner scheduler and annoy your least punctual friend.

• The irresistible urge to say “depot” more often than society strictly requires.

Vital stats for the collectorly inclined:

• Author: Mick Webber

• Publisher: Ian Allan, 1997

• Title: London Trolleybus Chronology 1931–62

• ISBN: 9780711025288

• Condition: Very Good (the dignified middle ground between “mint” and “left on the parcel shelf of a Mk I Cortina”)

• Provenance: Crappy Old Books—because honesty is refreshing and the stock is better than the name.

Buy it for the dates, keep it for the daydreams: a softly sizzling tour of London’s overhead age, captured in compact, chronological splendour. Plug in your curiosity, mind the poles, and enjoy the ride.

Keep browsing: See more Transport books Other books by Mick Webber