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Boston, New York, and the Incredible Rivalry That Built America's First Subway
by Doug Most
Book Reviewed by:The Race Underground is a great American saga of two rival American cities, their rich, powerful and sometimes corrupt interests, and an invention that changed the lives of millions.
A compelling work of narrative nonfiction, selected as a Discover Pick by Barnes and Noble, The Race Underground is a riveting true story of the dramatic and sometimes deadly competition between New York and Boston to build the first American subway. For readers who love Erik Larson and David McCullough, The Race Underground is peopled with the famous, like Boss Tweed, and Thomas Edison, a great American saga of two rival American cities, the powerful interests within, and an invention that changed the lives of millions.
The Race Underground conveys a constant sense of motion, a dizzying energy going forward, the growth of new science and technology at a faster pace into the future. I loved the vivid descriptions of the city streets in the horse and carriage days, and can only imagine the joy when finally the cleaner, faster way of moving people was finally in place. This book is so rich and full of history and was much more satisfying than a novel...continued
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(Reviewed by First Impressions Reviewers).
While Boston and New York might have been competing stateside to launch the first subway, across the Atlantic, London was already way ahead in getting its underground tube rolling.
In the mid-nineteenth century, congestion was getting to be an increasing problem in the city as the only way to travel around was by buses and cabs, not quite the mass transit system that was really needed.
The solution was a sub-surface system that would alleviate congestion by moving some of it below the ground. The initial method used to dig the tunnel was called "cut and cover;" in essence, a trench was dug and then covered over with materials that supported whatever passed over it. These "cut and cover" tunnels were only about 60 foot deep and ...
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Dan Shaughnessy - author Francona, The Red Sox Years
Imagine my disappointment when my college professor assigned Notes From the Underground and it turned out to be a mere existential novella. Finally, we get the book I wanted - The Race Underground - a history of Boston, New York and the building of America's First Subway. Give me Doug Most over Dostoyevsky anytime.
