“It is an axiom of the West that its mysterious charm cannot be evaded.
By many it is compared to a disease—a slow fever, with the sensation of pleasure substituted for that of pain.” Thus reads one such promotion of Santa Fe, New Mexico. And the book is full of these clever nuggets. This history of railway promotion in the Southwest from 1890-1930s may focus on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, but its marketing lessons are a must-read for anyone running a railroad today. Santa Fe historians will also love the appendixes, which include listings of Santa Fe hotels from 1880-1940 and curio shops from 1900-40. All Aboard for Santa Fe stands out from other AT&SF histories because it so thoroughly investigates how the railway promoted Santa Fe from the late 1800s to the beginning of WWII.
—Meghan Saar
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