Describing himself as a "full-time dad and part-time writer", life-long railway enthusiast Richard Long was born in Hampshire in 1972 and has lived in East London for the past 25 years. A history graduate and former bookseller, he has written a number of books about railways in the south of England, including <em>Ryde Rail: A History of Tube Trains on the Isle of Wight </em>and <em>The St Ives Branch Line: A History</em> (shortlisted for a 2023 Holyer An Gof Publishers’ Award).<br>Richard’s next book - <em>Upgrading the Isle of Wight's Railway </em>- will be published August 2024.
