What do you think?
Rate this book
Paris Underground: The Maps, Stations, and Design of the Metro
The delectable follow up to Transit Maps of the World— with a French twist
A word-of- mouth sensation, Transit Maps of the World garnered rave reviews and offered delicious eye-candy to the many who devoured its lusciously designed pages. In Paris Underground, Mark Ovenden turns his attention to the famous Paris transit system with its inimitable Art Nouveau inspired stations and Art Deco signage. More than one thousand maps, diagrams, and photographs—historical and current—along with fascinating factual tidbits and enthusiastic, informed commentary embellish this gorgeous cultural history of the Métro’s design and construction. Transit buffs, Francophiles, and anyone who appreciates beautiful design are sure to make Paris Underground the season’s must-have volume.
A word-of- mouth sensation, Transit Maps of the World garnered rave reviews and offered delicious eye-candy to the many who devoured its lusciously designed pages. In Paris Underground, Mark Ovenden turns his attention to the famous Paris transit system with its inimitable Art Nouveau inspired stations and Art Deco signage. More than one thousand maps, diagrams, and photographs—historical and current—along with fascinating factual tidbits and enthusiastic, informed commentary embellish this gorgeous cultural history of the Métro’s design and construction. Transit buffs, Francophiles, and anyone who appreciates beautiful design are sure to make Paris Underground the season’s must-have volume.
176 pages, Paperback
First published November 17, 2008
2 people are currently reading
174 people want to read
About the author
Mark Ovenden
11 books15 followersMark Ovenden is a British writer and broadcaster whose previous books include Transit Maps of the World and Paris Underground: The Maps, Stations and Designs of the Metro. He lives in Paris, France."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 2, 2022
It was a long ride to get this one marked off the list. A solid 4,3. Not a book that can be read through at speed.
It takes time to absorb and sort through the numerous pictures, information, and captions. It was this jumbled format that put me off in places. Trying to keep up with text and captions and turning pages to keep up or complete a thought. But the graphics and research and scope of the book are massive and well done.
There is no lack of photos, maps, typefaces, and everything in between to look over. Going right on the coffee table for display.
It takes time to absorb and sort through the numerous pictures, information, and captions. It was this jumbled format that put me off in places. Trying to keep up with text and captions and turning pages to keep up or complete a thought. But the graphics and research and scope of the book are massive and well done.
There is no lack of photos, maps, typefaces, and everything in between to look over. Going right on the coffee table for display.
August 21, 2018
Soul of a Sous-Terraine
Brilliantly evocative in it's typography and layout starting with the first inside page continuing with chapter headers numbered with the pastel circles of the various Metro lines, Mark Ovendon's wonderful tribute to the history and evolution of a subway that combines engineering with French elan. The layout of the text itself is informative, visually sumptive, filled with stylistic puns. There are huge numbers of maps, photographs and interesting graphics. This is art, politics, sociology and design rolled into one.
On a personal note, on a recent trip to Paris, which sparked my interest in the book, I had the opportunity to travel on all of the Metro lines and 4 of the 6 RER lines. It did not take long to make sense of the system. I was relieved to learn that La Republique where I was based has the most complex series of passages between platforms, though IMHO the area around Les Halles comes close. Having read this book, on my next trip, I hope to be able to pay more attention to the architectural details of the stations and get out to some of the newer ones such as La Defense and Auber. The book also discusses stations that are no longer used and phantom stations that appeared on the maps, sometimes for decades, but were never built.
What the book does not do is discuss rolling stock or gauges of track. It does observe that Metro cars are interchangeable between lines, implying the same gauge, though this is rarely done. The cars are themselves are interesting, possibly unique, in that doors do not open automatically but require the passenger to either press a button or turn a lever. On the design side Ovendon only has the briefest mention of tickets which also changed over the years.
The primary audience for this book is likely transit buffs and as a souvenir English speaking tourists. There is not currently a French version of the book. It would be particularly appropriate as a gift for graphic designers. I especially enjoyed the list of suggested layout rules for maps on pp151. There is a tension between the topological school who feel it better to focus on abstract network connections and the topogeographic school who wish to communicate surface features, proportions and real world layout. The Paris system uses a combination of approaches - linear maps in the rail cars and platform entrances, topological maps within stations and for general distribution and local street maps for orienting travellers as they exit stations. The book also contains excellent discussions on the selection, creation and suitability of fonts as they are used in different contexts.
Great fun and for its target audience highly recommended.
Brilliantly evocative in it's typography and layout starting with the first inside page continuing with chapter headers numbered with the pastel circles of the various Metro lines, Mark Ovendon's wonderful tribute to the history and evolution of a subway that combines engineering with French elan. The layout of the text itself is informative, visually sumptive, filled with stylistic puns. There are huge numbers of maps, photographs and interesting graphics. This is art, politics, sociology and design rolled into one.
On a personal note, on a recent trip to Paris, which sparked my interest in the book, I had the opportunity to travel on all of the Metro lines and 4 of the 6 RER lines. It did not take long to make sense of the system. I was relieved to learn that La Republique where I was based has the most complex series of passages between platforms, though IMHO the area around Les Halles comes close. Having read this book, on my next trip, I hope to be able to pay more attention to the architectural details of the stations and get out to some of the newer ones such as La Defense and Auber. The book also discusses stations that are no longer used and phantom stations that appeared on the maps, sometimes for decades, but were never built.
What the book does not do is discuss rolling stock or gauges of track. It does observe that Metro cars are interchangeable between lines, implying the same gauge, though this is rarely done. The cars are themselves are interesting, possibly unique, in that doors do not open automatically but require the passenger to either press a button or turn a lever. On the design side Ovendon only has the briefest mention of tickets which also changed over the years.
The primary audience for this book is likely transit buffs and as a souvenir English speaking tourists. There is not currently a French version of the book. It would be particularly appropriate as a gift for graphic designers. I especially enjoyed the list of suggested layout rules for maps on pp151. There is a tension between the topological school who feel it better to focus on abstract network connections and the topogeographic school who wish to communicate surface features, proportions and real world layout. The Paris system uses a combination of approaches - linear maps in the rail cars and platform entrances, topological maps within stations and for general distribution and local street maps for orienting travellers as they exit stations. The book also contains excellent discussions on the selection, creation and suitability of fonts as they are used in different contexts.
Great fun and for its target audience highly recommended.
December 7, 2009
For anyone who has ever set foot on a metro train in Paris. Lavishly illustrated; a pleasure to simply browse. The level of detailed information does not encourage a sequential reading, of course. The numerous metro maps are especially enjoyable to compare with one another.
July 21, 2024
Almost everything a fan of the Paris Metro could want is here. Although a lot of background on the genesis of the subway is presented, along with some of the hurtles of digging the tunnels, the main focus is on the maps, most of which are small illustrations that only give one an overall idea of its presentation and utility. Many of the photos of stations and their entrances are postage-stamp in size, which is a shame, because the art deco/art nouveau detail is often very attractive and interesting. Early on in the book there are design and construction details that only whet one's appetite for more (such as the decision to use beveled-edge tile to help reflect light).
The book is most useful for Paris residents with a curiosity about when certain "lignes" were added, or how a particular station design came about. The system is organic, a monster of engineering design that keeps expanding over the decades. A cutaway diagram of one "correspondence", where several lignes come together, shows just how complex the problem is of getting passengers from one to another.
But my eyes started to glaze over at a certain point; one can only stare at hundreds of subway maps rendered in a 3"x4" size for so long.
I had wanted more detail on station design and innovation. I remember taking the Paris subway in the 80's and the use of the magnetic-strip tickets. This is one case of automation with unattended consequences. These little yellow tickets littered the ground of stations, the steps, and the entrance/exits.
By the way, one reviewer listed what they thought were the greatest subway systems in the world. Having used the London tube, the New York subway, and the Paris system over multiple visits, I have to add Berlin to their list. I have made many extended visits to Berlin and lived there for a while (my spouse is a native), and their system is first-rate: the U-Bahn connects to the regional S-Bahn system, and bus stops are present at every station. I don't know about other cities, but I could also take my bike on the train. Many stations have elevators that help folks in wheel chairs as well as those with bikes, cumbersome parcels, or luggage. And the stations and trains are clean. I'd like to see a book like this on the Berlin U-Bahn!
The book is most useful for Paris residents with a curiosity about when certain "lignes" were added, or how a particular station design came about. The system is organic, a monster of engineering design that keeps expanding over the decades. A cutaway diagram of one "correspondence", where several lignes come together, shows just how complex the problem is of getting passengers from one to another.
But my eyes started to glaze over at a certain point; one can only stare at hundreds of subway maps rendered in a 3"x4" size for so long.
I had wanted more detail on station design and innovation. I remember taking the Paris subway in the 80's and the use of the magnetic-strip tickets. This is one case of automation with unattended consequences. These little yellow tickets littered the ground of stations, the steps, and the entrance/exits.
By the way, one reviewer listed what they thought were the greatest subway systems in the world. Having used the London tube, the New York subway, and the Paris system over multiple visits, I have to add Berlin to their list. I have made many extended visits to Berlin and lived there for a while (my spouse is a native), and their system is first-rate: the U-Bahn connects to the regional S-Bahn system, and bus stops are present at every station. I don't know about other cities, but I could also take my bike on the train. Many stations have elevators that help folks in wheel chairs as well as those with bikes, cumbersome parcels, or luggage. And the stations and trains are clean. I'd like to see a book like this on the Berlin U-Bahn!
January 1, 2020
An interesting — and impressively complete — look at the history of the Paris Métro.
December 15, 2021
Interesting with some lesser known details.
August 20, 2024
Incredibly dense and thoroughly researched with hundreds of pictures and diagrams. I'd love to see him do a similar book for the DC metro.
March 17, 2010
in order to accurately assess this book I have to divide it into sections, for accuracy. Here you have, my three reviews of Paris Underground: The Maps, Stations, and Design of the Metro:
REVIEW ONE pages 1-77, a short and not entirely asked-for history of the metro.
two stars
Mark, listen (may I call you Mark? Or should it be Mr Overden? I'm going for the former, I think) what are you doing? I loved Transit Maps of the World - it turned me into someone who has coffee table books, and is proud of that fact. It made me proud of being nerdy about public transport maps. It made me want to read more. Why, why, oh why, did you follow it up with these 77 pages?
Let me give you some advice - stick to what you're good at. Judging from these first six chapters, here is a short (and hopefully helpful) list of things you're not good at:
- Book design
- Writing
- Knowing when your jokes are funny
- Knowing when to use exclamation marks
- Knowing the difference between Art Nouveau and Art Deco
- Writing in a way that an audience who doesn't know the geography of Paris, or the French language, can understand.
These 77 pages took me months to read. I just didn't want to subject myself to the shattering of all that I held dear in this world. It made me want to cry myself to sleep at night. And it's difficult to hold.
-----------------
REVIEW TWO pages 77 - 131, just when the history gets interesting, the pictures make a resurgence
four stars
OK, I'll give you that one - the section about the war was actually interesting - despite your insistence on bad sarcasm, despite making this book very difficult for anyone who doesn't know Paris geography to understand, despite pretty much all that was wrong with the first section. But what's this? The writing is disappearing and being replaced entirely by images! Gone are the chapters almost entirely text (I'm not here for a read, I want pretty pictures!) Even some of the bad sarcasm is gone! This is getting much closer to the book I wanted for Christmas. It's getting much closer to the eye candy I'll line up on my coffee table for visitors to marvel at how pretentious I am. Most importantly, you seem to have realised by this point that tiny images in margins and corners, with notes all over the place, is not very good book design (honestly, why did it take you so long Mark?)
Wow, Mark, you've really started salvaging stars here!
-----------------
REVIEW THREE the rest of the book, oh how I love miscellany!
four stars
OK, so at this point it's only residual scarring from the first section that is keeping this review from being four stars overall. When I stay stick to what you do well, I mean it - because you do do it well. As much as someone can do nerdiness well...
REVIEW ONE pages 1-77, a short and not entirely asked-for history of the metro.
two stars
Mark, listen (may I call you Mark? Or should it be Mr Overden? I'm going for the former, I think) what are you doing? I loved Transit Maps of the World - it turned me into someone who has coffee table books, and is proud of that fact. It made me proud of being nerdy about public transport maps. It made me want to read more. Why, why, oh why, did you follow it up with these 77 pages?
Let me give you some advice - stick to what you're good at. Judging from these first six chapters, here is a short (and hopefully helpful) list of things you're not good at:
- Book design
- Writing
- Knowing when your jokes are funny
- Knowing when to use exclamation marks
- Knowing the difference between Art Nouveau and Art Deco
- Writing in a way that an audience who doesn't know the geography of Paris, or the French language, can understand.
These 77 pages took me months to read. I just didn't want to subject myself to the shattering of all that I held dear in this world. It made me want to cry myself to sleep at night. And it's difficult to hold.
-----------------
REVIEW TWO pages 77 - 131, just when the history gets interesting, the pictures make a resurgence
four stars
OK, I'll give you that one - the section about the war was actually interesting - despite your insistence on bad sarcasm, despite making this book very difficult for anyone who doesn't know Paris geography to understand, despite pretty much all that was wrong with the first section. But what's this? The writing is disappearing and being replaced entirely by images! Gone are the chapters almost entirely text (I'm not here for a read, I want pretty pictures!) Even some of the bad sarcasm is gone! This is getting much closer to the book I wanted for Christmas. It's getting much closer to the eye candy I'll line up on my coffee table for visitors to marvel at how pretentious I am. Most importantly, you seem to have realised by this point that tiny images in margins and corners, with notes all over the place, is not very good book design (honestly, why did it take you so long Mark?)
Wow, Mark, you've really started salvaging stars here!
-----------------
REVIEW THREE the rest of the book, oh how I love miscellany!
four stars
OK, so at this point it's only residual scarring from the first section that is keeping this review from being four stars overall. When I stay stick to what you do well, I mean it - because you do do it well. As much as someone can do nerdiness well...
May 10, 2011
Liked 'Transit Maps' better. It's been a while since I read that one, so I cannot say why it made a better impression -- it either had less or better prose.
I found the level of detail in 'Paris' inconsistent; some things, like typefaces (which the author consistently calls 'fonts', much to the chagrin of this type geek) were covered in the minutest detail. But the entire WWII period was glossed over in a handful of pages. Clearly the Métro was not a player in the war in the same way that London's Tube was, since Paris was an occupation zone and not a consistent bombing target. Or was it? My knowledge of history isn't that deep, and I had hoped I might learn something here. All I got was that construction slowed down (obviously) and that there were some line closures because of bombing threats. (But I thought Paris was occupied and not being bombed? I got only confusion from what little was on offer here.)
The maps were interesting to a point, but with a focus on one system rather than all the systems of the world, they got repetitive.
I expected to adore this book, given my tendencies toward francophilia and trainspotting. Instead I was intermittently entertained and skipped through it quickly. Caveat emptor...
I found the level of detail in 'Paris' inconsistent; some things, like typefaces (which the author consistently calls 'fonts', much to the chagrin of this type geek) were covered in the minutest detail. But the entire WWII period was glossed over in a handful of pages. Clearly the Métro was not a player in the war in the same way that London's Tube was, since Paris was an occupation zone and not a consistent bombing target. Or was it? My knowledge of history isn't that deep, and I had hoped I might learn something here. All I got was that construction slowed down (obviously) and that there were some line closures because of bombing threats. (But I thought Paris was occupied and not being bombed? I got only confusion from what little was on offer here.)
The maps were interesting to a point, but with a focus on one system rather than all the systems of the world, they got repetitive.
I expected to adore this book, given my tendencies toward francophilia and trainspotting. Instead I was intermittently entertained and skipped through it quickly. Caveat emptor...
July 11, 2023
The Paris Metro is one of the most iconic transit systems in the world. Its classic art nouveau entrances, art deco candelabra, white tiled stations, and idiosyncratic maps are almost as recognizable city landmarks as the Tour Eiffel, Arc de Triomphe or the Louvre.
‘Paris Underground’ is the center of the venn diagram of so many of my interests: Paris, urban planning, beautiful maps, typography, and history. This book is an exhaustive collection of the collateral associated with the Paris Metro, one of the best transit systems in the world. Savoring the maps, posters, tickets, and stories was a delightful way to spend a day.
‘Paris Underground’ is the center of the venn diagram of so many of my interests: Paris, urban planning, beautiful maps, typography, and history. This book is an exhaustive collection of the collateral associated with the Paris Metro, one of the best transit systems in the world. Savoring the maps, posters, tickets, and stories was a delightful way to spend a day.
January 11, 2022
I loved the subject matter of this book but the format made it hard to read so I gave up: the main text was laid out alongside copious (and very interesting) captions to the illustrations making it hard to focus on either as narrative arc. There was an amazing array of illustration but most were reproduced at such a small scale it was impossible to see them properly. It might have been better to use the format and layout of an exhibition catalogue with the main text followed by full page illustrations with notes. Otherwise, it definitely would have been a 5* for me.
July 3, 2010
I started to read this but the text was pretty boring to me--for "history of the Paris Metro" enthusiasts only. However the photos and maps are pretty interesting and fun to peruse. Many varied and colorful design solutions to the subway map.
Read
February 1, 2011More of a coffeetable book than a read-it-all-the-way-through kind of book. Gorgeous, though.
December 13, 2013
essential interesting compendium of maps, and how the Paris Metro grew
August 7, 2015
Fascinating and in-depth history of the Paris metro. My only beef with the book is some questionable layout and design decisions which made some image captions confusing.
March 6, 2016
A concise history of the highlights in the creation and transformation of the Paris Metro. Very cut-and-dry like a hybrid of a textbook and picture book.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews