Book excerpt: Railway stations have long held a special place in the public's affection. The lure of the great terminus has been especially strong, the breathtaking grandeur of its architecture fused with a promise of adventure and escape. This book is a celebration of the railway station's life and architecture. It examines the history of these fascinating structures, the great events - both factual and fictional - that have occurred there, and how they have formed an integral part of the life of the cities they serve. Steven Parissien discusses, with enthusiasm and erudition, the various architectural styles and developments that stations have witnessed over the past 150 years: from the early provincial and colonial railways, through the Victorian Gothic of London's St Pancras and the Beaux-Arts splendour of Grand Central Station in New York, to the modern structural feats of Nicholas Grimshaw's Waterloo International Terminal and Santiago Calatrava's Lyon Satolas. Archive pictures, railway ephemera and new photography are combined to create a fascinating visual record for anyone seduced by trains, railway stations and travel in general.