Eric Tonks
Eric Tonks | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 July 1914 Birmingham, United Kingdom |
| Died | 26 December 1994 Birmingham, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | British |
| Period | 1943-1992 |
| Genre | Industrial history, Jazz |
| Subject | Railways, quarrying, industrial history, jazz |
| Notable works | The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands |
| Notable awards | MSc, FRIC, Dip Maths |
| Children | 2 |
Eric Tonks (17 July 1914[1] – 26 December 1994[2]) was an English writer and historian of British industrial railways. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of the industrial archaeology of railways and quarrying.[2] He was also a noted Jazz discographer.
Industrial railways
[edit]In 1949, Tonks was one of the founders of the Birmingham Locomotive Club and he was the club's president for 25 years.[2] He also set up the club's Industrial Locomotive Section, which later became the Industrial Railway Society.[3] He compiled a well-regarded study of the development of British preserved railways.[4]
Author
[edit]Tonks was a prolific author on the related subjects of industrial history and industrial railways. He began his writing career with a book on the Edge Hill Light Railway, and he was an acknowledged expert in the history of that railway.[5]
He is particularly known for his "magnum opus"[2] 9-volume series of books on the ironstone industry of The Midlands, which is considered the standard work on the subject.[6][7] Tonks began work on this series with the publication of a single volume in 1959.[8] This was expanded into 9 volumes in the 1980s and 1990s. These books are acknowledged, as a "great work...on industrial infrastructure"[9] and the 1959 edition was one of the first books to integrate the study of industrial railway history with the wider historical and social aspects of the industries they served.[10]
Other interests
[edit]Tonks was a founding member of the Motor Registration Circuit, a club based in the Midlands for car license plate spotting enthusiasts.[1] He was considered an expert in this field.[11] He was also a well-known Jazz aficionado,[12] who wrote a regular column for Discography magazine[13] and was considered an expert in the field of Jazz discographies.[14]
Works
[edit]Ironstone Quarries
[edit]Originally published as:
- Tonks, Eric (1959). The Ironstone Railways and Tramways of the Midlands.
Full series:
- Tonks, Eric (April 1988). The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands Part 1: Introduction. Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. ISBN 1-870-754-018.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link) - Tonks, Eric (April 1988). The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands Part 2: The Oxfordshire Field. Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. ISBN 1-870-754-026.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link) - Tonks, Eric (April 1989). The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands Part 3: The Northampton Area. Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. ISBN 1-870-754-034.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link) - Tonks, Eric (May 1990). The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands Part 4: The Wellingborough Area. Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. ISBN 1-870-754-042.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link) - Tonks, Eric (1991). The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands Part 5: The Kettering Area. Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. ISBN 1-870-754-050.
- Tonks, Eric (1992). The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands Part 6: The Corby Area. Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. ISBN 1-870-754-069.
- Tonks, Eric (October 1989). The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands Part 7: Rutland. Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. ISBN 1-870-754-077.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link) - Tonks, Eric (1991). The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands Part 8: South Lincolnshire. Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. ISBN 1-870-754-093.
- Tonks, Eric (1992). The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands Part 9: Leicestershire. Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. ISBN 1-870-754-085.
Other books
[edit]- Tonks, Eric (1948). The Edge Hill Light Railway.
- Tonks, Eric (1950). The Southwold Railway. Birmingham Locomotive Club.
- Tonks, Eric (1972). The Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Railway. Industrial Railway Society.
- Tonks, Eric (1962). The Industrial Locomotive of the North Riding of Yorkshire. Birmingham Locomotive Club.
- Tonks, Eric (1962). Light & Miniature Locomotives of Great Britain. Birmingham Locomotive Club.
- Taylor, Alan; Tonks, Eric (1965). The Southwold Railway. Ian Allan Publishing.
- Tonks, Eric (1974). The Snailbeach District Railways. Industrial Railway Society.
- Tonks, Eric (1985). Railway Preservation in Britain: 1950–1984.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Unravelling the mysteries of car numbers". Birmingham Daily Post. 4 January 1966.
- ^ a b c d "Eric Tonks". The Railway Magazine. Vol. 141. March 1995. p. 13.
- ^ "A look at a selection of artefacts on show in the museum". Chasewater Railway. 13 March 2013.
- ^ Carter, Ian (9 January 2017). British Railway Enthusiasm. Oxford University Press. p. 114.
- ^ "Look Back with Little: Importance of Railway". Banbury Guardian. 29 September 2014.
- ^ "Historic Environment Record: Northamptonshire" (PDF). Northamptonshire Industrial Archeology Group.
- ^ "Earth Sciences History: Journal of the History of the Earth Sciences Society". 16. The Society. 1997.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Ironstone Quarries". Bulletin of Industrial Archeology in CBA. No. 3. October 1967.
- ^ Amber, R. W. (1999). The History and Practice of Britain's Railways: A New Research Agenda. Ashgate.
- ^ "Industrial History". Transport History. 1–2. Graphmitre Limited. 1968.
- ^ "Upsetting tradition". Birmingham Daily Post. 19 April 1966.
- ^ Mecklenburg, Carl Gregor; Ruecker, Norbert (1983). International Bibliography of Jazz Books: 1921-1949. Koerner.
- ^ Venables, R.G.V; Tonks, Eric (August 1943). "Information Please, a regular monthly feature for collectors". Discography.
- ^ Pickup: The Record Collector's Guide. Vol. 2. Pickup. 1947.
