{"product_id":"new-yorks-secret-subway-the-underground-genius-of-alfred-beach-and-the-origins-of-mass-transit-hardcover","title":"New York's Secret Subway: The Underground Genius of Alfred Beach and the Origins of Mass Transit - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMatthew Algeo\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the nineteenth century, Manhattan's streets were so choked with pedestrians, horses, vehicles, and vendors that a trip from City Hall to Central Park could take hours. Alfred Beach had the perfect solution: build a giant pneumatic tube underneath Broadway from the Battery to Harlem. Air pressure would shoot passengers up and down the island in clean, quiet carriages. But Beach was up against the operators of the horse-drawn streetcars and the politicians in their pay, most conspicuously William M. Tweed, the notorious \"Boss\" of Tammany Hall. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York's Secret Subway: The Underground Genius of Alfred Beach and the Origins of Mass Transit \u003c\/i\u003etells a classic story of good versus evil, pitting the mild-mannered Beach, a visionary inventor and entrepreneur, against the oafish tyrant Tweed, the exemplar of corruption in the Gilded Age. It also tells the story of one of the most astonishing feats of engineering in American history, the surreptitious creation of the nation's first operational subway. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e New York seemed destined to become the second city in the world with a comprehensive subway system, after London. Unfortunately, political lethargy and greed would conspire to deny the city a subway for another thirty years. \u003cbr\u003e Yet Alfred Beach still proved conclusively the feasibility of underground railways in Manhattan, and paved the way for modern mass transportation systems. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Richly illustrated and populated with larger-than-life characters, \u003ci\u003eNew York's Secret Subway\u003c\/i\u003e will captivate readers and provide historical context for today's clashes between public interests and powerful business and political groups. Algeo tells this amazing true story in full for the first time, and although it took place more than a century ago, it will at times sound surprisingly familiar. \u003cbr\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eMatthew Algeo is an award-winning journalist and author. He has reported from four continents for NPR News and written for major publications including the \u003ci\u003eAtlantic, New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e. He is the author of eight books, including \u003ci\u003eHarry Truman's Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip\u003c\/i\u003e, which Christopher Buckley called \"utterly likable,\" and the \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e named one of the best books of the year. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 288\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 x 8.6 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 30, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51978275651885,"sku":"9781642833652","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/3185\/6429\/files\/pGmNVyc7BY9781642833652.webp?v=1775801402","url":"https:\/\/ishookbooks.com\/products\/new-yorks-secret-subway-the-underground-genius-of-alfred-beach-and-the-origins-of-mass-transit-hardcover","provider":"iShook Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}