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Subway Style: 100 Years of Architecture & Design in the New York City Subway | 
 enlarge | Authors: New York Transit Museum, Anthony Robins, Andrew Garn
Publisher: STEWART TABORI (THAM
Category: Book
List Price: $40.00
Buy New: $22.49
You Save: $17.51 (44%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 1041846
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 252
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.3
Dimensions (in): 10.7 x 8.7 x 1.1
ASIN: B000EZ8ESQ
Publication Date: October 1, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Unlikely as it may seem, the 100th anniversary of the New York City subway system was the impetus for a handsome book, Subway Style: 100 Years of Architecture & Design in the New York City Subway. Produced by the New York Transit Museum, this abundantly illustrated design history traces the origins and development of subway cars and stations, including ceramic and metalwork detailing, ticket booths, signage, route maps and advertising. Treated in a merely dutiful way, this material would probably be of interest only to subway buffs. But Subway Style boasts high-quality photographs, an inviting design, and a succinct and wryly amusing text that relates subway developments to other cultural happenings and isn't too proud to explain specialized terms. It's the kind of book that makes the evolution of turnstiles sound fascinating. With a contractual mandate to instill "beauty" into "a great public work," the IRT--the first of three subway lines--originally featured elaborate Beaux Arts ceramic detailing displaying historical scenes or symbolizing local landmarks. Gracious bronze grilles served as ticket windows, and station names were painstakingly spelled out in glass mosaic tiles. Succeeding generations morphed these features into increasingly streamlined versions utilizing the latest technology and design trends. Wood station seats gave way to cast terrazzo perches cantilevered from the wall, then to molded fiberglass, polyurethane and finally back to wood. Usable maps were a long time in coming. In 1958, 18 years after the three lines were united, the Transit Authority finally published a single guide showing the entire system. Massimo Vignelli--whose bold, color-keyed station signage was a major innovation--later produced an abstract, all but useless map that was, as the book says, "emblematic of New York's 1970s retreat from urban life." The chapter on subway ads is (naturally) the most fun, ranging from Amelia Opdyke "Oppy" Jones' expressive cartoon characters--caught in the act of dropping gum wrappers or propping their feet on the seats--to head shots of women hoping to be voted "Miss Subways." —Cathy Curtis
Book Description
October 2004 marks the 100th anniversary of the largest underground transit network in the world. Love it or hate it, if you're a New Yorker, you can't live without it: 3.5 million people ride the rails every day. The subway is as much a symbol of New York City as Central Park and the Statue of Liberty. Commemorating its centennial, this official publication presents an illustrated history of the architecture and design of the entire complex, from the interiors of the trains and the mosaic signage at the stations to the evolution of the token and the intricacy of the intertwined, rainbow-colored lines on the free, foldout map.
Produced with the New York City Transit Museum, Subway Style documents the aesthetic experience of the system through more than 250 exclusive pictures. The book includes newly commissioned color photographs of historic and contemporary station ornamentation as well as imagery from the Museum's archives. The images span the full century, from the system's inception in the early 1900s up to and including architectural renderings for the still-to-be-built Second Avenue line. AUTHOR BIO: The NEW YORK TRANSIT MUSEUM is one of only a handful of museums in the world dedicated to urban public transportation. The Museum's collections of objects, documents, photographs, films, and historic rolling stock illustrate the story of mass transit's critical role in the region's economic and residential development since the beginning of the 20th century. The Transit Museum's main facility is located in a decommissioned 1936 subway station in Brooklyn Heights, an ideal setting for the Museum's 20 vintage subway and elevated cars, and wide-ranging educational programs for children and adults. A gallery annex in Grand Central Terminal presents changing exhibits relevant to the millions of commuters who use mass transit every day.
Photographer Andrew Garn has exhibited his work in galleries around New York City and across the country. His photographs are also held in numerous museum and private collections.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 A beautiful book May 19, 2007
This book is a beautiful catalog of the visuals associated with the New York City subway system. I have seen books with pictures of the cars, but no other book shows the stations, the history of the transit maps, subway advertisements, even the various designs of tokens that have been used. It's a great job and I'm happy to give it a 5-star rating!
if you appreciate art, architecture, urban history then this is for you February 21, 2007
I've always appreciated the unique style and details of the NYC subway system. And being a history affecionado as well, this book satisfied my curiosity. A nice blend of historical description, nice collection of photos. I think ultimately it's more on the photo side, but there are succinct captions for each of them.
This is not really a thorough history book but I would describe more as a jumping point should you decide it's something you want to know more about.
 NEW YORKS UNDERGROUND JEWEL October 26, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Finally a book that appreciates New York's iconic subway system..yeah London has the clean and modern "Tube" and Paris has it's efficient "Metro", but the most famous or infamous and most recognizable is the NYC "Subway". The images in this book are fantastic and the text kept me interested all the way to the last word. I really came away with an appreciation for the history of this great transportantion system and it's surprising beauty..who knew? Highly recommended.
Best book published for centennary April 13, 2005
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
After having seen too many books narrating the history, especially the first years, of the NYC Subway, this book is quite a surprise. Stunning photographs, with interesting details!
A few errors January 2, 2005
3 out of 26 found this review helpful
Interesting - The book is copyright 2004 by the Metropolitan Transit Authority. The legal name for the parent agency is Metropolitan TRANSPORTATION Authority. So is this book legal?
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