.

A Victorian railway guidebook has become a bestseller after almost 150 years – thanks to a UK TV travel programme.

Bradshaw’s Handbook was first published in 1863 but has now been catapulted into the top 10 UK Amazon sales list after being featured on Great British Railway Journeys on BBC2.

The facsimile of the original has already sold more than 8 000 copies and a second print run could be in the offing.

Abraham Davies, a spokesman for Oxford-based Old House Books and Maps, the company that reproduces the edition, said: “This is a big deal for us – it is very difficult to break into the top 50 and this is the first time we have come anywhere near the top 10.

“The book gives a lot of detail of what a traveller could expect to see in local areas, which makes it a very interesting social history.”

The BBC series stars former cabinet minister Michael Portillo, who uses the book to explore Britain’s railways and see how the country has changed in the decades since it was first published.

Managing director Nick Wright said: “Not only is ours the only available version that includes the exact routes and places referred to in the TV programme, it is available for less than £10 and customers have recognised that as remarkable value.”

Lancashire-born George Bradshaw began his career as a cartographer and produced Britain’s first railway timetable in 1839.

After he died in 1853, the company continued to produce travel publications in his name. – Daily Mail