author
Robert Charles Tombs
1842–1923
Best known for vivid histories of Bristol’s postal system, this British writer turned the story of mail coaches, post offices, telegraphs, and telephones into a lively record of everyday communication. His books are especially appealing for listeners who enjoy local history and the hidden workings of public services.
2 Audiobooks
The Bristol Royal Mail: Post, Telegraph, and Telephone
by Robert Charles Tombs
About the author
Robert Charles Tombs was a British writer and postal official, born in 1842 and died in 1923. He is closely associated with Bristol, where he served as Postmaster, and he wrote detailed histories of how the city’s postal and communications services developed over time.
His best-known books include The Bristol Royal Mail: Post, Telegraph, and Telephone and The King's Post. In them, he traced the growth of Bristol’s mail system from earlier post houses and coach roads to the age of railways, telegraphy, and the telephone, blending administrative knowledge with a strong interest in local history.
Tombs’s work stands out because he wrote from inside the world he described. That gives his books a practical, grounded quality: they are not just about dates and institutions, but about the people, routes, and systems that kept communication moving.