Subway: The Curiosities, Secrets, and Unofficial History of the New York City Transit System

Description

A dynamically written visual history of the world's largest transit system in all its intriguing, colorful, and even seedy glory packed with compelling information, as well as fascinating graphics and illustrations. New York wouldn't be New York without the subway. This one-time engineering marvel that united and expanded the city has been a cultural touchstone for the last 114 years. Subway is a complete, concise history of the transit system, from the technical obstacles and corruption which impeded plans for an underground rail line in the late 1800s, to the current state of the systems and plans for the future. Interspersed throughout are sidebars and stand-alone sections including profiles of characters who helped make the subway what it is today; graphics and imagery showing the evolution of subway cars, tokens and MetroCards, graffiti, and even subway etiquette ads; how the subway has been characterized in movies, television, and music; a look at abandoned cars and stations and more. A passion project for writer and train-buff John Morris, he brings wit and a journalist's instinct to the book, grabbing readers' attention with fascinating facts and anecdotes, conveying a sense of wonder and fun about the world's largest transit system. With engrossing imagery and a dynamic design, Subway will be a visual feast and must-have gift book for history buffs and train fanatics.

John E. Morris has been fascinated by trains and transit systems since childhood, and has indulged this passion while pursuing careers as a lawyer, later as a journalist. He has worked as an editor and reporter at the American Lawyer magazine, The Deal, Dow Jones, and Bloomberg News, and he's the coauthor with David Carey of King of Capital: The Remarkable Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of Steve Schwarzman and Blackstone, a history of the Blackstone Group and the private equity industry. He holds an undergraduate degree in philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley, and a JD from Harvard Law School. He lives in New York.

"This beautiful tome to the subway would make a great coffee table book, but it's also the perfect gift for any NYC history or transit buff, as it's full of gorgeous vintage images and tons of fascinating facts." --6Sqft.com An encyclopedic history of the subway system. It's the historical record.--Richard Ravitch, former chairman of the Metropolitan Transit Authority In a rollicking, fact-filled narrative and with hundreds of rarely seen images, John Morris tells the story of the birth of the New York City subway system, and how this underground world of tunnels and rails forever changed the shape and feel of the city.--Esther Crain, founder of the website Ephemeral New York and author of The Gilded Age in New York, 1870-1910 With a culture all its own, the subway truly is a city beneath the city. In Subway, John Morris takes readers on a breezy ride through that world that will inform and entertain everyday straphangers, transit aficionados, and even those who've never passed through the turnstiles.--Jose Martinez, senior transit reporter at Thecity.nyc