This book, fist published in 1979, traces the growth of Britain's inland transportation systems, chiefly for goods traffic, by road, canal and railway, from the early seventeenth century to the eve of nationalisation in 1947. The book focuses on the history of Pickfords, long a prominent member of the transport industry, and provides new insights into the many ways that the organisation and supply of these inland services were affected by successive changes in transport modes and technology.