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The City Beneath Us: Building the New York Subway | 
 enlarge | Author: New York Transit Museum
Creator: Vivian Heller
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Category: Book
List Price: $45.00
Buy New: $23.95
You Save: $21.05 (47%)
New (14) Used (8) from $23.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 114369
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.7
Dimensions (in): 10.1 x 8.7 x 1
ISBN: 0393057976
Dewey Decimal Number: 625.42097471022
EAN: 9780393057973
ASIN: 0393057976
Publication Date: December 13, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: new, but no shrink-wrap
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Book Description
A newly discovered cache of magnificent historical photographs. There have been, and will be, other books on the New York City subway system, but none have had access to the wonderful photographic prints from the collections of the New York Transit Museum that are presented in this volume. Made from 8 x 10-inch glass negatives after the turn of the last century, and reproduced here in glorious duotone, over 175 images show the incredible construction techniques and details involved in creating the underground marvel we enjoy today. From "cut and cover" and deep tunneling to sinking under-river tubes and disastrous cave-ins, these photographs are nothing short of awe-inspiring. The book is accompanied by an engaging, illustrated history of the subway system. Published in honor of the New York City subway's centennial, A City Beneath Us will fascinate anyone who's ever been amazed by the gigantic undertaking that is New York City transportation. 175 duotone and 40 black-and-white photographs.
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| Customer Reviews:
 I never knew... June 25, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a fresh and eye-opening narrative of the history of the subway --and the history of the city, too. It's rich in unforgettable anecdotes of forgotten heroes, forgotten initiatives (successes and disasters), and ingenious developers. The photographs are a marvel. It's one of my favorite books.
 Saved by the photos June 25, 2006
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
The City Beneath Us is a superb collection of photos weighed down by a less-than-stellar text. The text reads like it was assembled by a committee, with each committee member writing a chapter. A more thorough editing could have smoothed the transitions and given the book a more unified feel. Though, the contributing writers are unified in one thing -- they are sure of who the New York subway's enemies were throughout the years. This strident finger-pointing also detracts. But then there are the pictures. Nearly all is forgiven in the face of these wonderful images. If you get geeked by trains or things underground, this is a great, if flawed, book.
No Maps! December 26, 2004
26 out of 26 found this review helpful
The book presents an illustrated history of the NY subway in the first 81 pages with the remainder of the 160+ pages devoted to historic photographs. Since it was published by the NY Transit Museum I had high hopes. After reading the book, I felt that the history narrative was somewhat condensed being that 100 years were covered in 81 pages including photos. I was disappointed that there is not a single map or line drawing of the NYC transit system in the entire book! (I still find this hard to believe.) Having lived in NYC for 25 years I am familiar with the geography and layout of the subway system. But without a map, readers who are unfamiliar with the layout will be totally lost. How is one supposed to know the how the BRT, IRT and IND lines relate to each other geographically without a map? I had hoped that the book would illustrate how the subway expanded over time using maps and diagrams which it did not. I also expected more engineering drawings or diagrams. If you are looking for some great photos of building the subway then this book has hundreds of excellent pictures. If you are looking for a more detailed explanation of the history to include maps of how the subway expanded over the first 40 years then look for another book. I gave this book 4 stars because of the excellent photographs.
Not as impressed as I thought I'd be December 1, 2004
13 out of 16 found this review helpful
I had high hopes for this book, after several delays and all the hype. But I was somewhat disappointed by the very poor quality of materials (especially the dustjacket), despite it being printed in Italy. The photos are worth 5 stars, but I expected more of them and a more coherent presentation. There are plenty of good histories of the NYC Subway--this book was supposed to be a treasure trove of photos.
I also think this book would have been more impressive if it were a larger format.
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