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An Underground Guide to Sewers

or: Down, Through and Out in Paris, London, New York, &c.

Stephen Halliday author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Thames & Hudson Ltd

Published:10th Oct '19

Should be back in stock very soon

An Underground Guide to Sewers cover

A quirky yet hugely informative global guide to the magnificently designed and engineered structures that lie deep underground beneath our feet

Lose yourself in the vast sewer networks that lie beneath the world’s great cities – past and present. Let detailed archival plans, maps and photographs guide you through these subterranean labyrinths – previously accessible only to their builders, engineers and, perhaps, the odd rogue explorer. This execrable exploration traces the evolution of waste management from the ingenious infra-structures of the ancient world to the seeping cesspits and festering open sewers of the medieval period. It investigates and celebrates the work of the civil engineers whose pioneering integrated sewer systems brought to a close the devastating cholera epidemics of the mid-19th century and continue to serve a vastly increased population today. And let’s not forget those giant fatbergs clogging our underground arteries, or the storm-surge super-structures of tomorrow.

'Written by historian and broadcaster Stephen Halliday, it achieves the unlikely feat of engaging readers for more than 250 pages on all aspects of human waste and water disposal and, in particular, the often-impressive infrastructure created to deal with the age-old problem of sewage. It’s no mean feat, helped by a lively style and excellent maps, drawings and archive photography ' - RIBA Journal
'Fascinating' - Creative Review
'A call to ordure … takes a deep dive into the insalubrious shitshows of the ancient world and the subterranean infrastructure of cities' - World of Interiors
'Extraordinary' - Arquitectura Viva

ISBN: 9780500252352

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 940g

256 pages