The Man Behind the Bridge

by Peter Davies

Published 6 December 2012
Lieutenant Colonel Philip Toosey was the senior British officer concerned with the building of the notorious "Bridge over the River Kwai". Toosey understood from the very beginning that the only real issue was how to ensure that as many of his men as possible should survive their captivity. Many thousands who knew how Toosey stood up to their oppressors at great personal risk were incensed by Alec Guinness's brilliant portrayal of 'Colonel Nicholson' in the film version of Boulle's book. This book provides an accurate historical account of the terrible events during which more than 16,000 PoWs died while building the Thai-Burma railway, of which "the bridge" formed an essential part. A memorial to Toosey, this book is also a definitive history of the building of the railway in the context of the Far Eastern theatre of World War II.

First published in 1991, this title is part of the Bloomsbury Academic Collections series.

This account of the Japanese Shipping Industry treats both the shipping lines and the shipbuilding industry, focusing principally upon the economic developments, following the growth and boom of the 1950s and 60s. The perspective is wide-ranging and the authors relate Japanese shipping not only to the national economy and that of SE Asia but to the world shipping industry as a whole.

First published in 1990, this title is part of the Bloomsbury Academic Collections series.