The Bolivar Railway, the first public railway in Venezuela, which dates from 1877, was originally built to connect the copper mines at Aroa, with the Caribbean port of Tucacas. The two-foot gauge railway, which was around 56 miles long, took its name from the famous liberator from Spanish rule of several South American countries, Simon Bolivar, whose family had for many years, owned the mines. In 1891, another company extended the line for a further 56 miles to Barquisimeto. A branch was later built to serve the town of San Felipe and after the company joined forces with the Puerto Cabello & Valencia Railway, a further line was constructed to connect the two systems. Very little has been written in the English language on the railways of Venzeuela, even though most of them were built with British capital and remained in British hands until after the Second World War. The author has undertaken his research with enormous diligence, leaving no stones unturned in his quest for completeness, covering not only the railways, but also the copper mines at Aroa. The original locomotives were built at the Canada Works in Birkenhead, followed by others from Black Hawthorn, R&W Hawthorn Leslie, Kitson, Dübs, Falcon and the Hunslet Engine Company, all of which are discussed in some detail. The book also touches on two other railways, the Puerto Cabello & Valencia and the La Guaira & Caracas. This is an absorbing story of British enterprise and entrepreneurship in railways, mining and maritime activities, beset by a largely unstable political landscape, including not a few revolutions. This book should appeal not just to readers interested in British owned railways overseas and the mining of copper, but to anyone interested in more general terms, in the management structure, operations and finance of British companies operating in South America.