Something Old, Something New: A look at the updated Edition of Brian Sibley's The Thomas the Tank Engine Man

The Thomas the Tank Engine Man
By Brian Sibley
(2015 Edition)

Of all the things that were a part of my childhood, Thomas the Tank Engine stands out as having a major part.  I’m sure there are many who would say the same.  I was in grade four when I learned about the Rev. W. Awdry, the Anglican priest who crafted these stories about the little blue tank engine all those years ago.  In 1995, Brian Sibley compiled and wrote The Thomas the Tank Engine Man, a book that informed those who had grown up with the Railway Series about the Rev. W. Awdry and how he created the books that brought us Thomas the Tank Engine.  Twenty years later in 2015, just in time for the 70^th anniversary of the Railway Series, Lion Hudson Ltd. came published an updated edition of The Thomas the Tank Engine Man.  My question is, does the updated book hold up with the original publication?  Well, just keep reading this blog and find out!

The Thomas the Tank Engine Man
By Brian Sibley
(1995 Edition)

Brian Sibley’s The Thomas the Tank Engine Man tells us about the life of the Rev. Wilbert Vere Awdry.  From exploring the family history of the Awdrys to the origins of some of the greatest moments in the Railway Series and the beginning of the television series Thomas the Tank Engine.  Sibley follows a simple timeline of the Rev. Awdry’s life while providing moments that highlight the kind hearted, ecclesiastical vicar while also providing quotes from the reverend himself who was interviewed for the book over twenty years ago.  All this is tied together by a thesis presented as a question by Brian Sibley’s colleague, John Forrest: “Do you know anything about the Thomas the Tank Engine man” (Sibley, 11, 2015; Sibley, 5, 1995)?  This simple question fits well with the book and still holds up today.  Everyone is so familiar with the character Thomas the tank engine, his coaches Annie and Clarabelle, Percy, Gordon, Henry, Toby, Edward and others but few know about the kindly clergyman who told these stories to his son seventy-one years ago.

The overall writing of this book was well done.  It’s difficult to compare the updated edition from the original publication when both editions have the exact text.  The only differing part is the 2015 edition features an epilogue that updates the reader on what has occurred since the original publication in 1995.  This add on, though necessary, feels a bit rushed.  This section is covering almost twenty years of information, this including the passing of the Rev. W. Awdry and the continuation of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.  It felt much more like a laundry list of events, a very different way from the flowing narrative that is seen in the preceding part of the book.  It would have made better sense to up date the previous chapter to 1997 and the have the epilogue cover the years after, that way the finale isn’t squished with concluding the life of the Rev. Awdry, the final books of the Railway Series and the continued momentum of the television series.  Despite this short coming, the epilogue is definitely informative and still well written.

My major issue with The Thomas the tank Engine Man was the aesthetics of the book.  This can be quite apparent from the covers of the book (as seen above).  On the whole, both editions follow the same set up: a collage of different aspects of the Reverend Awdry and Thomas the Tank Engine, both doing this in differing ways.  While the adage don’t judge a book by its cover is true in many instances, the book cover still has to convey some level of connection to the content inside.  The cover of the 1995 edition concentrates on the “man”, providing images of Awdry, various images from his life, the original drawings from when the stories were originally written for his son Christopher, and the original model of Thomas the tank Engine (spoilers: he looks nothing like the one you grew up with!).  The 2015 edition concentrates on the “Thomas the tank Engine” part, showing mainly images from books in the Railway Series and Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.

Personally, I prefer the 1995 cover more.  The book is looking at the figure behind the tank engine.  By 1995, Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends was already over shadowing the Railway Series, not enough that the books were no longer out of print (the books ending in 1996 with two follow ups in 2007 and 2011) but it was definitely taking over as what children pictured the Reverend’s famous engines.

In conclusion, Brian Sibley’s book The Thomas the Tank Engine Man is a great read for anyone who grew up with Thomas the Tank Engine.  It is well written and provides insight into the creation of Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends.  Though the epilogue is a little flawed and the cover art is not to my personal taste, The Thomas the Tank Engine Man is a book worth picking up.

Bibliography

"The Thomas the Tank Engine Man." Thomas the Tank Engine Wikia. Accessed June 21, 2016. http://ttte.wikia.com/wiki/The_Thomas_the_Tank_Engine_Man.

Diyfather. "The Father of Thomas the Tank Engine." YouTube. 2010. Accessed June 21, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT31slIrwxQ.

Sibley, Brian. The Thomas the Tank Engine Man. London: William Heinmann Ltd. 1995.

---. The Thomas the Tank Engine Man. Oxford: Lion Hudson Ltd. 2015.