This is the complete collection of the Thomas the Tank Engine stories. This volume includes all of the original 26 stories that the Rev. Awdry wrote. The stories began when Rev. Awdry's son had the chicken pox and needed to be entertained. Thomas was born along with the many other car characters that children are so fascinated by. If you have a young listener who loves trains and maybe even watches the Thomas the Tank Engine tv show, it would be a wonderful gift to share the original stories side by side with the book.