The Orient Express may owe its literary fame to Agatha Christie, but the luxury train was legend even before the crime writer staged a murder there. This handsome tribute to the grande dame of the European railway offers readers a first-class ticket through rail history, from the "railway revolution" of the nineteenth century and the Orient Express's inaugural journey in 1883 (an 81-hour trip from Paris to Constantinople) to the famous faces who contributed to the rise of the fabled train and its route (including King Leopold II, Mata Hari, Lawrence of Arabia, and, yes, Agatha Christie) and recent efforts to preserve and restore some of its carriages. But perhaps best of all are the photographs capturing the train's luxurious interiors and intricate styling, offering an evocative ride through the past for history lovers and train buffs.