Labyrinths of Iron: A History of the World's Subways

by Benson Bobrick

Traces the history and development of subways, focusing on the systems in London, Paris, and New York

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Trains

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Benson Bobrick earned his doctorate from Columbia University and is the author of several critically acclaimed works. In 2002, he received the Literature Award of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. He and his wife, Hilary, live in Vermont.

Reviews

[William Fuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

My awareness of Labyrinths of Iron came through a listing of Benson Bobrick's other books that appeared in the back of his later, marvelous history of biblical translation, Wide as the Waters. In truth, however, I did not find Labyrinths of quite the same quality. As is often the case, it seems, the book's subtitle, Subways in History, Myth, Art, Technology, and War, also promised more than the content delivers. With a risk of oversimplification, one might describe Labyrinths as almost a book on the author's philosophy of of underground tunneling and habitation. In the concluding pages, Bobrick asks whether the world's increasing use of subterranean space for travel, business, and habitation is truly wise. The author clearly indicates his preference for windows over murals and for sunshine over artificial illumination.

Bobrick does not attempt to describe the construction of subway tunnels world wide, rather choosing a few historically significant or especially large systems as examples. For instance, he discusses the first subway to be tunneled underneath the Thames River in London, the Métro in Paris, and systems in Berlin, Moscow, Mexico City, and New York City. The amount of detail devoted to these various subway systems is somewhat uneven with much more being given to some than to others. He gives much attention to the reasons behind such subterranean construction, traffic congestion even in the 19th century predominating, be such traffic pedestrian or equestrian. Economic concerns are frequently addressed as well as political influence and popular opinion both for and against such construction. In a few instances, the reader finds quite a bit of of biographical information about the construction engineers themselves.

In the chapters dealing with New York City, a predecessor and alternative to the subway, the elevated railroad or “el,” receives rather extensive discussion. In fact, I believe I learned more about that particular technological application in this book than in any other source I've yet come across. One interesting historical fact that was entirely new to my understanding was that, when the “el” finally fell to adverse public opinion and other factors, the massive amount of scrapped iron infrastructure was purchased by Japan working through an intermediary (Bobrick does not specify quite how this was done) only to be refashioned into weapons of war used against the U.S. in the world war to come.

In addition to the pages devoted to New York City's “el,” those that detail the construction challenges of tunneling under city buildings and flowing rivers offer fascinating descriptions and occasionally describe horrendous accidents. Such, however, cannot be said to be the main thrust of the text. If I came away from Labyrinths with a general impression, it is that the author found more complete (and interesting) source material for some subway systems than for others, making the resulting book uneven in its coverage. Another possible weakness in the text is that Bobrick may have attempted to cover too many disparate facets of subways: the people behind them, the motivation for their construction, public opinion, financing, experimental techniques (such as moving a vehicle through a pneumatic tube by pushing it with compressed air), artistry employed in the design of above-ground entrances and below-ground stations, and so on. Including all of these elements resulted in somewhat superficial coverage at times and a seeming lack of focus. One particularly strong point of the book is that it includes prints of quite a few drawings, sketches, and photographs to illustrate topics from the text.

Labyrinths was first copyrighted in 1981 and, though no fault of the author, has become a bit dated here and there. The 21st century reader should be prepared to encounter mentions of rows of telephones in stations, getting snapshot film developed, buying phonograph records, and other such daily scenes and activities that were perfectly common forty years ago but that technological developments have forced into obsolescence.

In summary, as noted above, this book could almost be described as the author's impression, philosophy, and attitude toward mankind's digging deep into the Earth, principally but not exclusively for purposes of transportation. It includes a bit of technology but is not totally devoted to that aspect of tunneling. It is partly sociological in its explanation of subway builders' motivations. Perhaps it can be most accurately perceived as an introductory survey course on the subject. If one is looking for an in-depth study of subway design, construction, or operation, Labyrinths will not be fruitful reading; however, as an introductory glance at the topic, it is certainly worth a read.

[Joe Michalak · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read that tells the story of the inception, creation, and completion of 4 of the world's major subway systems, placed both in the appropriate historical context of their creation in their city, but also the broader context of tunnels and transport for moving people in major urban areas going all the way back to Rome.

[Rock · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little grandiose, but nonetheless fun.