Book/10605
Transit Maps of the World
Penguin (Non-Classics) Search Penguin (Non-Classics) by Mark Ovenden Search Mark Ovenden
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Product Description
Transit Maps of the World is the first and only comprehensive collection of historic and current maps of every rapid-transit system on earth. Using glorious, colorful graphics, Mark Ovenden traces the history of mass transit-including rare and historic maps, diagrams, and photographs, some available for the first time since their original publication. Transit Maps is the graphic designer’s new bible, the transport enthusiast’s dream collection, and a coffee-table essential for everyone who’s ever traveled in a city.
Customer Reviews:
Five Stars - Super! But hear out my nit picking.
I'm not going to echo what countless others have said about this book. It's five stars all the way and a joy doubtlessly not just to those of us who share the author's perverse fascination with transit maps but also to a somewhat wider ken. In short, if you've made it this far and are for whatever reason curious about this book or wondering if it's for you, just GET IT. You'll be glad you did.
That said, like a true pedant, I'm going to harp upon some things that I think could have been improved. This is all nitpicking nonsense. I'm telling you that it's nitpicking nonsense, so don't yell at me for nitpicking since you've been warned in advance that picking nits is exactly what I'm about to do.
Basically, the British author has in his mind that the epitome of metro diagrams is Harry Beck's london underground and its subsequent improvements. Yes, it's an excellent diagram and system and a key touchstone (perhaps the key artifact) in metro mapping. However, to judge everything else against this standard often misses the point and negates contributions from other areas.
For example, the author rather perversely notes/compares the Seoul map to London's while apparently being blissfully unaware of the obvious Tokyo influence on the Seoul map. Indeed, the author's familiarity with Asia seems to be very thin - the examples chosen for Tokyo are particularly poor and in many ways atypical (I cringed when I saw the short lived "oedo-line-circle-centered" map included in the book). There are far better Tokyo metro/transit diagrams in wide circulation with far more interesting features that would have been of interest in the book. Amazingly, the author goes out of his way to berate a Tokyo chart which shows stair location in stations, even though as every Tokyo residents know, location of such is vital to making the most of your commute. London Underground, arguably, despite its history, the worst major metro in the world, would have a LOT to learn from Tokyo if it only had the sense to stop navel-gazing (and yes, I live in England).
Next, some monumentally interesting maps are not included. The author seems to know a bit about the Moscow Metro and gushes about it enthusiastically. While the Moscow metro has heavy use, it badly fails its users - its monumental station entrances, while architecturally interesting-ish, wastes commuters time.. so much so that I think the author could have done better than to gush as he did. However, beyond that, I'm in shock and awe that the author could apparently know so much about the Moscow metro and yet he couldn't be bother to include a diagram of the (admittedly speculative) "Metro 2" in there. "Metro 2" (look it up in wikipedia if unfamiliar) is a fascinating story, and its diagram would have fit perfectly in the book, regardless of whether it exists.
Pyongyang's metro deserved far better treatment than it got in the book. I know the author had to pick snd choose, but this one and its maps and associated stories are far more interesting than some of the more routine ones that got more coverage. That said, given that the author doesnt seem to have any particular knowledge of Asian metros, maybe this is not a bad thing (though look me up for version 2 and maybe we can improve the asian metro coverage!)
Finally, the author pays too much homage to the idea of "pure" metro systems because of his pro-London Underground biases. Of course, my views are contrastingly biased with the fact that I think the Underground is horrible. A "pure" metro by the standard of the book and apparently certain transport enthusiasts, is one that is self-contained (by which i mean no particular links to other systems), is (ideally) entirely underground, and doesn't use interoperable rolling stock and equipment. In other words, the "pure" metro is the london underground system with its claustrophobic cars and decrepid stations. It takes a good ten to fifteen minutes to get from a east coast mainline train at king's cross station to an ammoniac-steched underground train at the same station. What, ideal, exactly, are we celebrating here?
By comparison, it takes no time to get from, say, the Odakyu, Keio, and many other rail operators in Tokyo to that city's metro because of smartly designed inter-running. This is what should be celebrated - not some arbitrary aesthetic of a "pure" metro that just happens to be well exemplified by the author's favourite london system.
Ok. Enough carping. It's an excellent book. And actually, this is a true story--I was reading it while flying first class on an airliner for a four or five hour flight accross america. The title of the book is prominent and I, being a true connissur, would spend several minutes looking at most of the maps. The flight attendant was convinced that I was reading it because I had nothing else to read. Repeatedly he brought / suggested to me several magazines that he had on offer. Finally, I had to explain to him that I actually liked the book and I wasn't reading it at a glacial pace just because I was bored. He didn't get it.
I suspect you will, however, if you've made it this far in my review. Highly recommended.
My son sleeps with it
My son is almost four. I got him this book a few months ago since he is obsessed with NYC subway system. We read it almost every day, sometimes several times. I enjoy telling him which systems I've been on (he interjects, for Barcelona he said he was there when he was uno), and he likes to look at all the different trains. Lots of fun and interesting for adults who enjoy city planning.
Excellent map information 
An excellent book for cartographers and those interested in maps of transit systems around the world. Comprehensive would be an understatement, as the book truly lives up to its promise of including every transit map in the world. A bit more information on the systems themselves would have been nice, but I guess that's not what this book is about as much as the history of the maps of the systems. All in all, definitely worthwhile if you've got a passion for transit maps!
1972 NYC Subway map by Vignelli had a 1976 revision
Got this book last night, started reading it, and when I got to the description of NYC 1972 map by Vignelli, giving it a modernistic feel of the times, was pretty excited, because I knew I own a paper map. Went looking for it, and upon reading from the book that users of the map were confused by the fact that the station of "50th St - Bdway" was positioned west of 8th avenue, went to check on my map this fact. Unfortunately, the station was positioned correctly, i.e., east of 8th Ave, and noticed that the map was slightly different from the one illustrated in the book. Then I saw the date of print on my map, 1976, and realized it must have been a revision from the earlier map in response to the users's complaints. Great book.
Dream fulfilled!
This book fulfills one of my top dreams -- to be more exact, I could not have dreamed of such a book! Reading maps and riding subways have been two of my favorite hobbies, and it is definitely awesome to see more than 200 cities' urban transit maps juxtaposed and compared in one book. Even better, the author gives detailed introduction to the history and includes many interesting anecdotes of those storied urban transit systems such as Berlin, Chicago, London, Madrid, Moscow, New York, Paris, and Tokyo. I use this book to remind my boy about the cities and places we ever visited, and teach him how to use a transit map to quickly find a route to any destination. We have been enjoying it so far, and I believe lots of fun will continue to flow out from it.
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Transit Maps of the World & More...
related blog:
titleAmazon Prices For Cats Big Small/titlebClick The Image To ...
... src=http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61Qc-Z%2BKqrL.jpg width=100 height=100 alt=Transit Maps of the World border=0 align=left/aa href=http://www.amazon.com/dp/0143112651/?tag=thecelpho-20 target=_blankh3 Transit Maps of the ...
http://regan1770.freebloggersworld.com/2008/12/10/135/
homage to beck subway and metro maps
for your own instant map collection, buy. transit maps of the world - the world's first collection of every urban train map on earth by mark ovenden, penguin, 2007. isbn-10: 0143112651, isbn-13: 978-0143112655.
http://blogs.sun.com/katysblog/entry/subway_and_metro_maps
[ネタ][鉄道][読書感想文]三省堂神保町本店一押しのオタ本『transit ...
[asin:0143112651:detail] あなたがもしこの本に興味を持ったらamazon.co.jpで買うべきです。なぜなら、興味を持つ以上外れることはないし、店で買うのと値段が全然違う、具体的に言うと三省堂では￥3675するのにアマゾンなら￥2421で買えるからです。
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/tanabeebanat/20080309#1205024338
Transit Maps of the World : Katy Dickinson
ISBN-10: 0143112651, ISBN-13: 978-0143112655. This fascinating new book "brings together for the first time in a single volume the official current metro maps and diagrams from over 100 of the world's major Subway, U-Bahn, ...
http://blogs.sun.com/katysblog/entry/transit_maps
Such Hubbub Over a Subway Map. Decades Later, Revisions. - City ...
ISBN-10: 0143112651 # ISBN-13: 978-0143112655. — Peter H. Salus. 17. May 1, 2008 11:54 am Link. London has used a similarly abstract Underground Map for 30 years with no complaints…it works fine …The old “abstract” NY Map was easy to ...
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/such-hubbub-over-a-subway-map-36-years-later-revisions/
loss prevention book club
amazingly informative new book detailing the subway systems of the world. very well done. get one here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0143112651/downandoutint-20.
http://thelossprevention.blogspot.com/2007/10/loss-prevention-book-club.html
» TTC subway growth animation contest finalists! • Spacing Toronto ...
http://www.amazon.com/Transit-Maps-World-Mark-Ovenden/dp/0143112651. Comment by ed drass. October 2, 2007 @ 1:05 pm. Choice A is the one for me… sticks to the familiarity but adds the novelty in the best way. ute, london UK ...
http://spacing.ca/wire/?p=2318
The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips
... the transport enthusiasts dream collection, and a coffee-table essential for everyone whos ever traveled in a city. Author:Mark Ovenden Paperback:144 pages Company:Penguin (Non-Classics)(2007-10-30) ISBN:0143112651 List Price:$25.00 ...
http://www.hot-books.pimonrut.com/business-investing/the-most-scenic-drives-in-america-120-spectacular-road-trips.aspx
