The Master of these Marvels’ – George Stephenson and his Circle of Genius

As a young man George Stephenson saw the potential of the locomotive steam engine, and for over a decade studied every aspect of the subject, bringing together all the essential elements of the railway system we still use today. In the second half of his career he was employed by the country’s foremost financiers to plan the most important core routes of England’s railway network. This completely new biography takes full account of research done by many fellow contributors to the International Early Railways Conferences. The author has also made a detailed study of nearly a hundred railway surveys made by Stephenson and preserved in County Record Offices. His crowded life is followed year-by-year, set against the background of national and international events, including three hectic periods of ‘Railway Mania’. We see how Stephenson identified the potential in many others, and how he drew together a remarkable circle of family, friends, colleagues, investors, and apprentices.