Rush Hour

How 500 Million Commuters Survive the Daily Journey to Work

By: Iain Gately

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Hardcover | 6 January 2014

At a Glance

Hardcover
320 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
21.5 x 14.0 x 3.3

Hardcover

$45.75

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An fascinating exploration of the history and nature of commuting.

Each working day 500 million people across the planet experience the miracle and misery of commuting. Whether undertaken by car, bus, train or bicycle, the practice shapes our days and creates a time and a space for a surprisingly diverse range of activities. In RUSH HOUR, Iain Gately traces the past, present and future of commuting, from the age of Dickens to the potential of the driverless car. He examines the contrasting experiences of commuters in Britain and elsewhere in the world: from the crush-loaded salarymen of the Tokyo metro to the road-rage afflicted middle managers of America. Notwithstanding its occasional traumas, commuting emerges as a positive aspect of modern life. It has dictated the growth of cities; been proving ground for new technologies; and given countless people freedom of movement and the opportunity to improve their lives.

Industry Reviews

'Colourful, engaging and hugely enjoyable' The Sunday Times.
'An entertaining social history of life in the rush hour' Independent.
'I loved this book's generosity and curiosity about daily life and the people stuck in it. Anyone who commutes would find their journey to work enlivened and enlightened by it' Joe Moran, Guardian (Book of the Week).
'An entertaining study ... Rush Hour is never less than interesting, pacey and rattling with trivia' The Times.
'A lively history ... Gately has done commuters a real service: he can't make the journeys shorter, but he makes them more interesting' Mail on Sunday.
'Mr Gately is a good travelling companion - especially if you can find a seat' Economist.
'Having been a long-distance commuter, I enjoyed Gately's book, which includes little gems such as why the British have always been silent commuters. Counter-intuitively, he believes that commuting is a good thing. It signifies social progress, as people have used their freedom to travel to better themselves. Worth remembering as you sit fuming on the delayed 7.14am from Leeds to York' Times Higher Education.
'Gately has created a riveting look at how new-fangled steam-powered transport in the 19th century progressed commuting from an experience considered as futuristic as private space travel to commonplace ritual for more than half a billion people around the world' Daily Mail.
'Gately's book makes the journey worthwhile with many entertaining anecdotes and surprising facts' TLS.

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