Firefly Encyclopedia of Transportation ─ A comprehensive look at the world of transportation

A comprehensive look at the world of transportation with hundreds of superb illustrations.

Firefly Encyclopedia of Transportation transports readers through the amazing history of how we get around today, how we got around in the past, and how we might be getting around in the future. Packed with more than 1000 accurate illustrations, this encyclopedic reference is divided into six easy-to-follow sections -- On Wheels, On Water, On Tracks, Green Transportation, In the Air, and In Space. The double-page spreads are organized according to modes of transportation and purpose or method. For example, in "On Water" there is "Sailing to new worlds", "Fighting ships", "Luxury liners" and "Underwater vessels".

Each entry contains the story of the "vehicle" and a fact box to see at-a-glance aspects, from speed and size, to the number of people carried. In addition, special spreads feature cutaway illustrations showing interior and exterior parts and mechanisms. These include a Formula 1 racing car, the Cable and Wireless Adventurer powerboat, a high-speed TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) locomotive, a hydrogen fuel cell bus, and the Space Shuttle. Examples of the many other special topics are the Wright Brothers, traffic control on the ground and in the air, and the invention of the wheel.

Information on low-energy transportation and entries on "green" vehicles makes Firefly Encyclopedia of Transportation up to date. The book's backmatter is a bundle of useful and fascinating facts and trivia, including trailblazing inventors, world records, and a glossary of technical terms. A transportation timeline puts the rest of the book into perspective.

This is an authoritative, comprehensive and entertaining guide that is as ideal for homework as it is for browsing. A most suitable selection for home or school.

Oliver Green is Research Fellow and former Head Curator of the London Transport Museum. He is the author of many books on transportation, including Underground: How the Tube Shaped London. Contributing authors Ian Graham and Philip Wilkinson have written and consulted on a number of children's non-fiction books. Andrew Nahum is the Principal Curator of Technology and Engineering at The Science Museum, London.