The London Underground Look Again

AUTHOR: Elke Rollmann & Niko Rollmann

PUBLISHER: Pen and Sword Books

ISBN: 978-1-52678-108-6

PRICE: £25

WEBSITE: www.pen-andsword-co.uk

THERE ARE no shortage of books dedicated to London Underground (LU) and its extensive network of lines, trains and architecture. This new release from Pen & Sword takes us on a photographic journey around LU, but not necessarily as many of us are familiar with.

This book is slightly different to most others focusing on the LU network, as it looks at the parts of the Underground that many of us who have travelled on it have marvelled at, but perhaps not really given a second glance.

The preface to the book says that the authors want to encourage people to see LU in a different light. Photographer Elke Rollmann and historian Niko Rollmann have spent over a decade exploring the LU network armed with cameras, capturing as many different aspects of the fascinating railway as they can.

The authors have produced an extensive guide to things that you can see on LU whenever you travel on it and the images depict the network from its historic Victorian roots, through to some of the harsher modern architecture that features on some of the newer extensions and stations. It really does show that there is so much more to LU than the trains that transport Londoners and visitors around the city.

Printed on high quality paper, the 146 page hardback book is essentially a coffee table book that is possibly only of interest to enthusiasts with a specific interest in the LU network. Having said that, I think the book has a special charm and I spent quite some time immersed in it.

If you are looking for an unusual photo book about London Underground that features high quality photography presented in an attractive format, this book could well be for you.

Next time I am travelling on the Underground, this book has certainly inspired me to spend a bit more time looking at the network, rather than just using it as a convenient transport link. (AMC)