Why is the Victoria Line so hot? What is an Electrical Multiple Unit? Is it really possible to ride from King's Cross to King's Cross on the Circle line?
The London Underground is the oldest, most sprawling and illogical metropolitan transport system in the world, the result of a series of botch-jobs and improvisations.Yet it transports over one billion passengers every year - and this figure is rising. It is iconic, recognised the world over, and loved and despised by Londoners in equal measure.
Blending reportage, humour and personal encounters, Andrew Martin embarks on a wonderfully engaging social history of London's underground railway system (which despite its name, is in fact fifty-five per cent overground). Along the way he attempts to untangle the mess that is the Northern Line, visit every station in a single day - and find out which gaps to be especially mindful of. Underground, Overground is a highly enjoyable, witty and informative history of everything you need to know about the Tube.
Industry Reviews
I would strongly endorse Martin's book as the stop to get on at -- Will Self * Guardian *
Martin's knowledge is both encyclopaedic and full of quirky digressions, based on everyday observation ... this history has plenty of fun detailing the travails of the Underground's pioneering figures * Evening Standard *
A jaunty history ... studded with little observational gems ... he can occasionally stop you in your tracks with a well-turned phrase * Sunday Times *
A sparky history of the tube ... honours the Underground, and glories in its oddities * Sunday Telegraph *
Seeing Martin puzzle his way through the history is half the fun, as are his lively interlocutors ... the language is beautiful -- Rose Jacobs * FT *
For those who love a bit of darting about the Londinium subway whenever the chance comes, Underground, Overground will be a sweat-induced, claustrophobic treat -- Brian Donaldson * The List *
Hugely entertaining ... gives us all the lore and myths ... Underground, Overground captures the same zest, zaniness and sense of marvel shown in the recent BBC Two series The Tube. -- Michael Binyon * Times *
A highly engaging journey through the history and geography of the tube. -- Jonathan Sale * Independent *
An excellent "passenger's history" of the network... entertaining -- Mark Mason * Spectator *
If you've ever wondered who is responsible for the announcements on the Northern line, or why Bakerloo line trains don't have armrests, then this engaging and witty social history of the London underground is guaranteed to beguile.
. . . Martin is a highly entertaining guide to the stygian depths of subterranean London in all its absurd, confusing glory. . . Offbeat anecdotes abound . . . a compact yet comprehensive study -- Alexander Larman * Observer *
No mere tube-spotter's manual, this is an elegantly written and witty history of London itself as well as its tube system, enriched by lierary referenecs and quotations -- Katie Owen * Sunday Telegraph Seven *
