Originally published in 1925, this guide uses the routes of the Caledonian and North British Railway companies between Glasgow, Aberdeen, and the territory of the Great North of Scotland and Highland Railways. The style is entirely practical, and remarkably informative. A particular feature is the habit of quoting the cost of buildings and structures, where known; for example, the Convict Prison in Perth, for French prisoners, cost GBP130,000 in 1812, while Dundee's Prison cost GBP26,000 in 1836. Both were soon enlarged. By the time of publication, the British railways had been brought into four groups, after the ravages of the Great War. However, what was to prove a more substantial threat to their dominance of the travel and tourist market had already arrived - chars-a-banc and motor 'buses provided the "favourite excursions".