Transit Maps of the World by Mark Ovenden and Mike Ashworth

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Transit Maps of the World by Mark Ovenden and Mike Ashworth
Price: $15.63

Features

Paperback: 144 pages

Publisher: Penguin Non-Classics October 30, 2007

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0143112651

ISBN-13: 978-0143112655

Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.4 x 0.5 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds

Product Review
"Ovenden does what no other design history book has ever done. Transit Maps of the World is a must-have"
—The New York Times Book Review

"Fantastic"
—LA Times

"The perfect book"
—USA Today

“pure catnip"
—William Grimes, The New York Times

"This book is the stuff that dreams are made of"
—Newsday

"A fabulous collection. These maps are almost works of art, and can kindle a remembrance of a past trip or a dream of a future journey"
—Seattle Times

"Impossibly nerdy and thoroughly compelling"
—Kansas City Star

"This is the kind of book that would be incredibly fun to browse with kids as part of a world geography investigation--and also the sort of thing that makes great bedtime reading if you want to salt your dreams with the possibility of travel to distant cities. Sheer public transit/map porn!"
—Boingboing.com

“Fascinating”
—Peter Greenberg, National Public Radio

"Even if you are not a "map person" this book makes it so easy to experience the unique perspective of rail-based transit. Artistically a treat with its interesting colors, shapes and design; it's a coffee table essential. Ovenden brings a unique perspective to maps and to travel in general. Transit Maps of the World is a must-read for the literary traveller"
—Literary Traveller.com

"A vibrant tip of the hat to the world's urban train systems"
—National Geographic Intelligent Traveller

“…look no further for the next must-have book”
—Very Short List

“The sort of book you couldn’t imagine you needed until you got it and now you can’t imagine how you could do without it . . . It’s fantastic!”
—Robert Elms, BBC London

“Like a Condé Nast Traveler magazine for jetsetters with subterranean tendencies.”
—Metro

“Delightful.”
—The Guardian, London

“A beautifully illustrated study of the plans that help passengers navigate the world’s metropolitan railway systems.”
—The Times, London

“An object lesson in information design.”
—Wallpaper

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.

Reader Reviews
If you're like me, and enjoy poring over maps, you'll find this book a treat. If all the book had were reproductions of current urban rail maps, it would be worth at least 4 stars. But there's much more. There is a short history of urban rail from its earliest days, and then you have maps and text for about 200 cities around the world. You get narratives on the history of each system, but the emphasis is on the evolution of the transit maps themselves. For some cities, up to about 20 maps are reproduced, and some of these date back to the 19th century. There's a wonderful sense of the conflict between having maps that are aesthetically pleasing and maps that are pleasing to someone trying to find their way around. The book is divided into 6 zones (rather than chapters), with the distinction based primarily on the evolution of the maps: zone 1: 8 cities, 4 pages per city. Example: Paris, 17 maps dating back to 1900. zone 2: 15 cities, 2 pages per city. Example: Boston, 5 maps dating back to 1926. zone 3: 28 cities, 1 page per city. Amsterdam, 4 maps. zone 4: 16 cities, 2 cities per page, usually 1-2 maps per city. zone 5: 18 cities, 1-3 cities per page, mostly 1 map per city. zone 6: 140? cities, about 12 cities per page, often without maps, very short narratives. The one problem you'll have is that many of the original maps were very large, and so when the transit map of Greater New York is faithfully reduced to two-thirds of a page in the book, you'll either need remarkable eyesight or a very strong magnifying glass to make out details. But the book is not intended as a catch-all way to actually find your way around, but rather as a paean to maps--you're intended to enjoy looking at the maps, not using them for transit purposes. A real delight!

Transit Maps of the World
List Price: $25.00
Available from Amazon
Price: $15.63
Updated on 12-30-2008.