Comments from a transit fan and a map lover
931773
As you can tell from the title, I was drawn to this book from two of my interests. This book is great! It gives samples of current and historical maps from transit systems all over the world, and it is a treat to look at. I have only two minor faults to find -- not enough to detract from the 5-star rating: 1. some of the maps are reproduced too small (I wish he had made the 1911 Brooklyn elevated map full page size, for example) or too dark (a Chicago transit map from the late 1940s is very hard to read) and 2. (very much my own personal taste) I wish he had included some historical maps from Philadelphia (he only has a current map of that city, one of my favorites).

One thing that does seem a bit strange: Although it is no surprise that the author, a native of London, writes in British English, it is rather odd that he seems to find it necessary to translate the *names* of American transit companies into British English, changing "transportation" to "transport" and "railroad" to "railway." Most people would, I think, leave the official names alone!

I hope the author reads this comment so he might be able to take it into account if he comes out with a revised edition -- I know this one has already been revised from the original.
540892
Wonderful lap map.  Very readable.  Very nice finish and very good quality card stock paper.  Our trip is yet to come but we are using the map now to do computer searches and to plan our route and see where our scheduled stops are located.  We are going in a group consisting of both Jewish and Christian friends so we purchased both types of maps.  They are both really well done.  I am sure they will be a real hit and very helpful on our trip.  After we got our maps, the seller actually sent us two more which they felt were printed on even better card stock with some upgraded content as well !!!  Such extraordinary service is deeply appreciated, thus I am happily giving this five star feedback.  Enjoy your maps from this provider.
604663
An excellent and perhaps, unique look at maps of the subway and mass transit systems of over 200 cities, large and small from around the world. The transit systems range from the large complex systems of London and New York, to the smaller basic systems of Genoa and  Detroit.
The book covers both the general development of transit map as the evolved from complex geographical accurate renditions of reality to the simplified, easy to read diagram like maps in common use today. The book also looks at the evolution of a number of specific city maps, including London, Berlin, Moscow and Chicago, among others. The last section of the book covers over a hundred of the smaller transit lines, including a number of proposed systems and expansions.
This book should be of special interest to transit fans, as well as those interested in maps or graphic design.
3777066
I love this postcard book! As others have mentioned, the designs are great and the cards are a good size (around 6.5" x 4.75"). The cards seem plenty thick enough for transit, and is also calligraphy-friendly (I used sumi ink and iron gall with no issues). As a bonus, it's easy to remove the pages from the book. That's about all I want from postcards so I'm a happy duck.
2538265
It was nice to have some of the updates for streets that have been there for 3 years.  Streets that were put in 2 years ago still are not on the map.  Also, I know of one street that is .3 of a mile off from its actual location.
493133
I am really glad all the launching ramps are shown.  The fuel stops are located on the maps including phone numbers and  the food stores too.  This guide is a big improvement over the land oriented travel guides.  After reading  how easy a visit to Butchart gardens is we may go there this summer!
898313
I think that Harre W. Demoro's The Key Route is a labor of love because the author, a veteran transportation reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle and Oakland native, grew up riding the Key Systems trains, got to know some of the Keys employees (including the conductor who recited Irish poetry), was a part of his daily life, and had the honor of being one of the last passengers to ride this train from San Francisco  to Oakland across the Bay Bridge in 1958 when bridge rail service was discontinued.  I first read about this book in the Chronicles Sunday book review section while I was in high school, and remember browsing thought it at a bookstore in downtown San Francisco after it was first published, so its a bit of nostalgia for me.  Also, after this book was published, the author wrote two feature articles about his experience in riding the Key System and growing up in Oakland for the Chronicles Sunday magazine.  One of them was about getting around Oakland by streetcar or bus, and the other was basically a nostalgic look back at his experiences in riding the Key Systems trains, which included many photographs from his Key Route book.
What draws me to the Key System story is the fact that my father rode the Keys bridge unit train from Oakland across the Bay Bridge to San Francisco while he was stationed at the Alameda Naval Air Station during the 1950s.  Several times before his death, my father told me that he took the wrong train.  He wanted to get on the A-line to San Francisco, but rode a train to Berkeley instead.  So after arriving in Berkeley, he transferred to the train that he wanted, the A-line to San Francisco.  He also commented that the trains conductors were very courteous.  Such was my fathers personal link to a forgotten relic of Bay Area interurban rail history.
Ironically, there was something my father never told me about riding the Key System. The bridge unit trains got their power in two different ways.  On the bridge, the trains got their power from an electric third rail through a special power shoe under the trains body like most subway trains get their power today.  Off the bridge, the trains got their power from an overhead wire through a pantograph on top of the cars body.  This is the way most light rail vehicles and commuter trains in Northeastern corridor (Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Washington D.C.)  get their power today.  The Keys trains also ran on the streets of Oakland and Berkeley just like a streetcar.  Another interesting feature of this train is that as the train ran toward the Bay Bridges entrance, it passed under a machine that pushed down the pantograph to prepare the train for third rail power on the bridge.
3474148
First, a disclosure:  I know Greg personally.  This guy loves Chicago and loves transit.  And it really shows in this book.  If you have any interest in the history of mass transit, this is a must-read, covering a little-investigated era that came and went faster than the riverboat culture on the Mississippi.  If you love Chicago, it's an added bonus.  That Greg's writing style is eminently readable doesn't hurt a bit.  If you live in Chicago, you'll find yourself looking at the streets as you travel the City, looking for remnants of this amazing Goldbergian technology.
808255
I really love this map for two reasons. One, it has a lot more cities than my other map, so this one works REALLY well for pinning the places I've been. I just mounted it on foam board (cost about $4) and it made a beautiful but inexpensive piece of art that shows where I've been! Secondly, I love that it's black/white/gray, because it matches the black/white/read decor of my room really well, especially compared to all the other maps on Amazon, which are an orangish brown color. It was a bit pricier than a lot of the other maps on Amazon, but because of the color and detail it was TOTALLY worth it!!!
4685332
In general, the book was very helpful. The one thing I would change would be the way they have the area maps laid out on the pages. I posted pictures of the two areas that I actually had difficulty with. There may be more. In the French Concession there is a temple they mentioned that I wanted to see but on the map, there was just an arrow showing which direction off the map that this temple was located. The same thing happened in the Pudong Area where I wanted to go to a museum and cheap shopping center in Century Park but it was very difficult to find because Fodor left the location off the map with an arrow pointing in the direction. In my photos of the maps the book provided, you can see how much of the page was left unmarked and wasted with empty space where the map could have been moved over to allow room for these attractions. If the map of Pudong was extended just a little, my hotel would have made it to the map as well.
4756671
For the railroad historian, this book contains the ultimate collection of hand-drawn maps of an area including Illinois, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  Three other books produced so far in this series portray other areas.  For many railfans like myself, the trackage is a special interest, and 1946 was a great year for the amount of railroad trackage owned by the various railroads.  Studying this large format book allows the reader to see where the tracks went back then, whether or not they are still with us today.  It is amazing to view the amount of trackage in several of the larger gateway cities where rail lines converged.  The rail lines are drawn in various colors so that each stands out from the others.  Other indications include:  station names, junctions, yards, abandoned trackage, mileage, trackage rights, and so on.  Waterways are included, but not roads, so as to avoid confusing lines.  Upon close reading, I did find a very few errors, such as the labeling of Galesburg, MI with map 127A that was actually of Galesburg, IL, for example.  The fact that the book was printed in China is also a disappointment.  Overall, this is a great comprehensive railroad reference.
1823211
i love these pocket sized maps and this one is especially nice because it is laminated. looking forward to going back to Paris for a few days just to hang out and return to my favorite places as well as see some things i've missed in the past--always something to look forward to. the metro is such a great way to travel but i definitely need a good map.
1697236
After really reviewing both sides of the street map of Manhattan, I don't think I will get lost when in NYC.  The map shows tourist destinations, subways, buses, etc., and will be very helpful (if I do get lost) in the City.  I love it.
3473289
This book was thoroughly fun.  I really enjoyed it, living as I do in Boston, and having lived in New York, and seeing how the subway system was conceived and built n both cities was interesting.  I'm no specialist, so it was readable and interesting without being so detailed that I felt I was plowing through information that just got in the way.  Boston won the "race" by the way.
I also had tine unusual experience of reading the book on the red line of the Boston subway, which was stuck in numerous slowdowns and service delays (and a complete shutdown of the subway due to a blizzard) over the week of January 26th to 29th, 2015.  The lousy service added a full hour (and in one case, two hours) to my commute.  The subways still need a good deal of work, but I'm glad they exist, though reading about service delays in the 19th century while stuck underground in the 21st, was somewhat ironic.
1117467
In researching The Lost Coast, I bought this map to decide on our campsites along the 24+ mile trail, and to get a better sense of where our water sources would be. Upon reaching our destination, however, we stopped at the BLM to get permits, and got a better map there for $5. They also gave us important information about recent landslides in the area and tricky tide spots that were not listed on the map available here.

It's not a bad investment for planning purposes, but if you are a map person and care about the most up-to-date details, go for the BLM map or a better topo map. The BLM people were super nice and informative and they appreciate the hiker data, so pay them a visit!

Either way, have a great trip - it is a beautiful place!!
1435957
Very informative book. Provides many maps to assist in navigating the area. There is also a TTC subway map which is useful when on the move. The hotel reviews were concise and helped greatly when picking a hotel that would fulfill my expectations.
4861591
(Refers to the map edition) An excellent map in 2002 - when it was published. There has been extensive growth and change in the bike trails of the Twin Cities since then. I unfortunately did not realise it was so old. Beware!