John Brunton's Book

Originally published in 1939, this book contains the autobiography of the well-travelled Victorian engineer John Brunton (1812–99), which he wrote for his grandchildren. Much of the text is taken up with Brunton's description of his adventures between 1858 and 1862 as Chief Resident Engineer on the Scinde Railway, which ran from Karachi to Kotri. Brunton's account is easy to read and filled with a number of interesting vignettes of colonial life and attitudes. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the history of engineering or the colonial history of India.