Mr. Beck's Underground Map

I have seldom been so pleased with a book as when this one arrived. I have always regarded the map as a work of art, apart from its practical function, and have been acquainted with the London Underground since 1947 when the Central Line arrived at our local station, Gants Hill. This book has expanded my knowledge comprehensively, with details of all the previous incarnations - written as extended captions, while the history and politics of the design are given in a separate narrative. I am very, very happy with the book, and would confidently recommend it to anyone who wishes to know more about the history of Harry Beck's invention.

Fascinating record ot the development of the tube maps from Harry Beck's original to the present day this book is a little treasure and does great credit to Ken Garland who produced it.

Brilliant book, just a pity my copy is printed upside down!

very good

great product

Lovely piece. Bit smaller. But lovely.

item received as described and quick delivery

"... (Beck) was as absorbed as ever with the more or less continuous task of updating and improving (the Underground Map). The Becks' whole house would be strewn with the clutter of work in progress, even the bedroom: Nora, his wife, would find little piles of sketches under his pillow when she made the bed in the morning. And his niece ... recalls seeing very large copies of the Diagram covering the living room carpet as he crawled over them making amendments." ‒ from MR BECK'S UNDERGROUND MAP"Beck's long custodianship of the Diagram had understandably induced in him a passion for detail that sometimes appeared obsessive." ‒ from MR BECK'S UNDERGROUND MAPGee, you think?As I shamelessly admitted in my review of  Underground, Overground: A Passenger's History of the Tube , riding the Underground ("Tube") could front as the essence of my pure, unadulterated joy at being in London. I love the escalators, the advert posters, the occasional busker in busy tunnels, the Tube logo and maps, the Cadbury dispensers, the "Mind the Gap" announcements, the smell and blow of the air along the platform as a train approaches, the sway of a moving car (especially when standing and steadied by a hand-grip), and the magic of descending into a hole in the ground and emerging across town at my desired destination. The experience provides a rush both literally and figuratively.My first visit to London was in 1975, some fifteen years after Henry Beck lost design control of his famous Underground Map, which was first published for the public's use in 1933. But even today in other custodians' hands, the Map is obviously the direct descendent of Beck's brilliant conception. Honor is due from anyone who has "minded the gap."MR BECK'S UNDERGROUND MAP by Ken Garland is a beautiful work of tribute to Henry's graphic. Sandwiched between sections dealing with Underground maps pre and post Beck is a comprehensive narrative summary of the evolution of Beck's Diagram while in his hands from 1931 to 1960. The hardcover, nearly square at 10.75 by 9.75 inches, is filled with full color reproductions of Beck's map as it evolved over the years. As the Underground itself is enormously complex, so is the map. Yet, each revised version is lucidly described in each reproduction's caption as well as in the body of the book's text. Moreover, in the latter, the appearance in time of each version is clearly referenced in relation to the previous and Beck's changes ‒ sometimes only minor ‒ described.If your eyesight is failing with age, such as mine, or even if it isn't, a magnifying glass at hand is advisable when examining the maps and perhaps when reading their captions.Garland's volume contains a section of enormously illustrative Appendices, e.g. rough pencil sketches done by Beck to help him solve design problems. Perhaps one of the most interesting is a two-page spread depicting the Tube's true geographic scale vs. its diagrammatic distortion on the Underground Map. It's this inclusion which best illustrates Henry's genius compared to what came before.MR BECK'S UNDERGOUND MAP was published in 1994, and the latest Diagram included is the 1994 Journey Planner, which was constructed "to incorporate all known projected extensions and new lines." A worthwhile visual exercise is to compare this with a 2014 map of London's rail system. (You'll immediately notice on the latter the Overground system, something conspicuously missing from the former. Can you imagine the single-minded delight with which Beck would've dealt with that challenge to his creation?)MR BECK'S UNDERGROUND MAP is a niche book only for Tube aficionados and graphic designers. For me, who gives away vastly more books than he keeps for lack of library space, it will have a permanent home on the shelf of "keepers."