Eric Tonks (17 July 1914[1] – 26 December 1994[2]) was an English writer and historian of British industrial railways.
[3] He compiled a well-regarded study of the development of British preserved railways.
[5] He is particularly known for his "magnum opus"[2] 9-volume series of books on the ironstone industry of The Midlands, which is considered the standard work on the subject.
[6][7] Tonks began work on this series with the publication of a single volume in 1959.
[10] Tonks was a founding member of the Motor Registration Circuit, a club based in the Midlands for car license plate spotting enthusiasts.