Underground Guide to Sewers: or: Down, Through and Out in Paris, London, New York, &c.

Book was undamaged, corners intact and no markings inside

This might seem an unlikely book to become a best seller but I read it cover to cover in one day today and found it un-put-down-able. I hope it does do well. I guess like most people I knew the basics of how sewers had rid London of cholera but this fabulous book with a wealth of illustrations teaches you all you need to know and more without ever getting tedious. As well as the history of sewers in cities worldwide we have explained those generally-passed-by-quickly installations one sees for water processing and they are explained in relatively simple terms. I am sure degrees in biochemistry, hydraulics and water engineering are needed for the real work but the lay reader is given the basic ideas. I live near the large Kempton Park engine house where one can still visit to see these giants of water engineering. On a personal note I have a son who was childminded 35 years ago on the banks of the Thames by a descendent of Joseph Bazalgette and who now actually has a septic tank in his remote house. I now know more about how it works. I( strongly recommend this book.

"An Underground Guide to Sewers," published by Thames and Hudson, is a remarkable, beautifully produced, and lavishly illustrated guide book to a critically important technical innovation, one which over time allowed cities to grow substantially while conquering deadly diseases. The historical sweep of the book begins many centuries ago, but the major focus is on the complex sewer systems developed more recently in Paris and London. It goes without saying that much can be learned about an aspect of daily life that affects all of us who reside in communities linked by shared destinies. At the same time, "An Underground Guide to Sewers" is a reminder that multiple disciplines have been and will continue to be intertwined in building the world's sewers system, that our quality of life and long-term survival depend on already established and yet to be improved approaches to waste management, and that governments need to do more than simply make infrastructure investment a political talking point.

Bought this for my Dad for Christmas (as a bit of a joke) but he loved it! So many interesting stories in the history of sewers, and a really fun design (the end papers have lots of manhole covers)

Gave as a gift.