London Underground By

Since its establishment 150 years ago as the world‘s first urban subway, the London Underground has continuously set a benchmark for that many transit systems around the world - from New York to Tokyo to Moscow and beyond - have followed. London Underground by is the first meticulous study of every aspect of that feat. Beginning in the pioneering Victorian age, Mark Ovenden charts the evolution of architecture, branding, typeface, map , interior and textile styles, posters, signage and graphic and how all these came together to shape not just the identity of the Underground, but the character of London itself. This is the story of some of the most celebrated figures in history - from Frank Pick, the guru who conceptualised the of the modern Tube with his idea of ‘ fit for purpose‘, to Harry Beck, the creator of the Tube map, and from Marion Dorn, one of the leading textile ers of the 20th Century, to Edward Johnston, creator of the distinctive font that bears his name. Rich with stunning illustrations, London Underground by shows that is about more than aesthetic pleasure, but is crucial to how we get around.