| Book Review | Environmental History, 11.3

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| Book Review | Environmental History, 11.3 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Allies of the Earth: Railroads and the Soul of Preservation. By Alfred Runte. Kirksville, Mo.: Truman State University Press, 2006. xix + 195 pp. Includes bibliographical references and index. Cloth, $29.95.

The recent spike in energy prices serves to remind Americans that their long-inadequate public transportation system and over-reliance upon automobiles are a disaster in the making. In his new book, Allies of the Earth: Railroads and the Soul of Preservation, Alfred Runte compares public transport in Europe and the United States, and finds the United States lagging far behind. Runte makes a convincing argument that in today's world of ever-increasing gasoline prices, it makes sense for America to adopt alternative modes of local and long-distance travel. Federal and state governments need not look far for a clean, efficient, and viable option, as the technology already exists. From the 1850s to the 1960s, millions of Americans traveled by train on a regular basis. Then, in the 1960s they largely shunned rail travel. Runte's ground-breaking study examines the reasons for this precipitous decline in U.S. passenger rail service and its implications for the future.

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