Janet Hunter, coeditor of Ethics, Business, and Capitalism: Thailand and Indonesia in an Asian Perspective:
Trading Locomotives is a richly researched study of the interaction between Japan’s industrialization and the global economy before 1914, documenting the country’s acquisition of knowledge and manufacturing capacity through the purchase, imitation, and adaptation of locomotives from Britain, America, and Germany.

Andrew Gordon, author of Fabricating Consumers: The Sewing Machine in Modern Japan:
Japanese railways have for decades been the envy of the world, powered by domestically produced locomotives. But between 1870 and 1914, Japan imported its locomotives from the United Kingdom, United States, and Germany, relying on the nation’s newly emerged and increasingly important trading companies. Trading Locomotives offers a fresh perspective on the fascinating story of Japan’s integration into the global economy.