Thomas Classic Library

The ultimate gift for fans of Thomas the Tank Engine! This elegant boxset brings together all 26 books, in hardback, from the original Railway Series. A nostalgic offering to share between generations and a real collector's item that makes a delightful present for new babies who are sure to grow up to be firm Thomas fans. Children aged 3 and up will love beloved characters such as Percy, James, Gordon, and Toby who live on The Fat Controller’s railway. Thomas has been teaching children lessons about life and friendship for over 75 years. He ranks alongside other beloved characters such as Paddington Bear, Winnie-the-Pooh and Peter Rabbit as an essential part of our literary heritage. It all began as a story made up by the Reverand W. Awdry to entertain his son when he had measles. Now millions of people across the world have grown up with the tales of Sodor Island, enchanted by the adventures of Thomas and his friends, Percy, Gordon, and Toby, and all the other engines that work on the Fat Controller’s railway. Have you met them all?

Top 100 Children’s Book – Junior Magazine, 2019

The Thomas the Tank engines stories were created by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry, who was born in Hampshire in 1911. He grew up close to the railway and was convinced that the steam engines all had different personalities. He used to imagine conversations between them. Later when he was grown up and his son Christopher became ill with measles, Wilbert told stories Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends to entertain him. Christopher asked for more and more stories and Wilbert began writing them down. The first of the Railway Series books was published in 1945, and Awdry wrote 26 Railway books in total before his son, Christopher, took over the series. There have since been multiple, hugely popular, Thomas the Tank Engine TV series and films.