Book Reviews

Reynolds' writing is overly dry and at times pedantic. As the editors point out he was not a writer, nor was he a historian. At times he seems complacently disinterested in the world evolving around him. For example, his entry dated April 15, 1861, only a scant three days after events at Fort Sumter, deals with typical railroad business - "The chairs and spikes are arriving, and the rails are expected in a few days"(131). The narrative is at its best when Reynolds leaves the minutia to focus on the road itself and the people that built it. Reynolds' comments on his British partners are very telling of business relationships in America during the 19th century. American railroads depended very heavily on foreign investments, and the relationship between 'European capital' and the 'American dream' could often be tenuous. At one point, Reynolds candidly refers to James McHenry, his British partner, "There is something not right with McHenry. I am certain the company must look to their own interests for McHenry will only look to his."(137) From a chronic lack of funds to burning bridges to internal bickering to hostile takeovers, the Atlantic and Great Western experienced no lack of drama, and Reynolds' retelling of these "railroad tales" is the high point of the book.

This edition of Reynolds' memoirs of the Atlantic and Great Western includes a comprehensive introduction and afterward by Peter Gifford and Robert Ilisevich, which attempts to place both the Atlantic and Great Western and William Reynolds into proper historical context. If there is any fault in this book, it lies in the introduction. Gifford and Ilisevich take the reader through an unnecessarily complicated discussion of early American transportation systems and sectional conflicts that have, at best, a marginal application to the construction of the Atlantic and Great Western. Those already familiar with antebellum issues involving transportation, including canals, roads, and railroads, can easily skip the first twenty-five pages of the introduction. But this minor problem is more than made up for by a well written afterward that summarizes the inevitable demise of the Atlantic and Great Western and its eventual inclusion in the Erie Railroad. Along with the afterward, the editors have included a helpful biography of major participants, a time-line of major events, and several photographs. As complicated as the construction of this railroad was, the editors chose not to include a map of the Atlantic and Great Western system. This is the book's only glaring omission. 

Any reader interested in 19th century business practices, the processes of railroad building, or Midwest railroading in general, will find European Capital, British Iron, and an American Dream an excellent source.

Matthew Hiner 
University of Akron 
Akron, OH

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