My Wish Lists Login / Join

The High Girders

The gripping true story of a Victorian dream that ended in tragedy

By: John Prebble

Write A Review

Paperback | 23 December 2025 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
224 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
2 x 12.8 x 19.7

Paperback

$24.99

or 4 interest-free payments of $6.25 with

Ships in 15 to 25 business days

'A tale of irresponsibility and inexperience' THE TIMES

'Graphically written with a sense of dramatic construction' SCOTSMAN

On December 28th 1879, the night of the Great Storm, the Tay Bridge collapsed, along with the train that was crossing, and everyone on board...

This is the true story of that disastrous night, told from multiple viewpoints:

The station master waiting for the train to arrive - who sees the approaching lights simply vanish.

The bored young boys watching from their bedroom window who witness the disaster.

The dreamer who designed the bridge which eventually destroyed him.

The old highlanders who professed the bridge doomed from the outset.

The young woman on the ill-fated train, carrying a love letter from the man she hoped to marry...

THE HIGH GIRDERS is a vivid, dramatic reconstruction of the ill-omened man-made catastrophe of the Tay Bridge disaster - and its grim aftermath.

Industry Reviews

Graphically written with a sense of dramatic construction - SCOTSMAN

A tale of irresponsibility and inexperience - THE TIMES

One of our leading historians, whose works ... are as scholarly as they are readable - OBSERVER

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $79.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.

Defective items

If there is a problem with any of the items received for your order then the Booktopia Customer Care team is ready to assist you.

For more info please visit our Help Centre.

You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Society & Culture Social Issues & Processes Social Impact of Disasters / Accidents (Natural or Man-Made)Engineering & Technology Civil Engineering Transportation Trains & Railways in General History Regional & National History European History British & Irish History

The High Girders

The gripping true story of a Victorian dream that ended in tragedy

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

More in Regional & National History

Touching the Sky

The extraordinary story of an Australian trailblazer who became the longest flying female airline pilot in the world

Long Journey Home

The perilous escapes of Anzac POWs from fascists in wartime Italy

Talking Classics

The Shock of the Old

Kosciuszko

The incredible life of the man behind the mountain

The Light on the Hill

An Updated History of the Australian Labor Party

Suicidal Empathy

Dying to Be Kind

Surveying the Wild Abyss

Unravelling settler memory

Queen Elizabeth II

The remarkable life of our nation's most beloved monarch captured by 'the most knowledgeable royal biographer on the planet' - Financial Times

Elizabeth II

In Private. In Public. The Inside Story.

The First Inventors

How people shaped a continent

The Lives of the Caesars

The Cats of Australia: From shipmates to soulmates - a complicated history of moggies Down Under, by Australia's only cat historian

From shipmates to soulmates and eco-villains - the complicated story of moggies Down Under

Melbourne Coffee Roasters

A History

Japan's Amazing Bullet Trains

The History and Technology of the World's First High-Speed Rail Network

The Country House Dining Room

A History of Georgian Feasting

The Lost Battalions

A battle that could not be won. An island that could not be defended. An ally that could not be trusted.

Abandoned Women : Scottish Convicts Exiled Beyond the Seas

Born in 1956? What else happened? 2024 edition

What else happened?

Born in 1946? What else happened?

What else happened?

Dark Emu

Aboriginal Australia and the Birth of Agriculture

A History of France in 21 Women

History in 21 Women

On the Shortness of Life

The Stoic Classic

A Concise History of Australia

5th Edition

Bondi Terror

The tragedy, the courage, the aftermath

This product is categorised by