Paperback published to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the London Underground

Why is the Victoria Line so hot? What is an Electrical Multiple Unit? Is it really possible to ride from King's Cross to King's Cross on the Circle line? The London Underground is the oldest, most sprawling and illogical metropolitan transport system in the world, the result of a series of botch-jobs and improvisations.Yet it transports over one billion passengers every year - and this figure is rising. It is iconic, recognised the world over, and loved and despised by Londoners in equal measure. Blending reportage, humour and personal encounters, Andrew Martin embarks on a wonderfully engaging social history of London's underground railway system (which despite its name, is in fact fifty-five per cent overground). Underground, Overground is a highly enjoyable, witty and informative history of everything you need to know about the Tube.

"I would strongly endorse Martin's book as the stop to get on at" - Guardian

"Martin's knowledge is both encyclopaedic and full of quirky digressions, based on everyday observation ... this history has plenty of fun detailing the travails of the Underground's pioneering figures" - Evening Standard

"A jaunty history ... studded with little observational gems ... he can occasionally stop you in your tracks with a well-turned phrase" - Sunday Times

"A sparky history of the tube ... honours the Underground, and glories in its oddities" - Sunday Telegraph

"Seeing Martin puzzle his way through the history is half the fun, as are his lively interlocutors ... the language is beautiful" - FT

"For those who love a bit of darting about the Londinium subway whenever the chance comes, Underground, Overground will be a sweat-induced, claustrophobic treat" - The List

"Hugely entertaining ... gives us all the lore and myths ... Underground, Overground captures the same zest, zaniness and sense of marvel shown in the recent BBC Two series The Tube." - Times

"A highly engaging journey through the history and geography of the tube." - Independent

"An excellent "passenger's history" of the network... entertaining" - Spectator

"If you've ever wondered who is responsible for the announcements on the Northern line, or why Bakerloo line trains don't have armrests, then this engaging and witty social history of the London underground is guaranteed to beguile. . . . Martin is a highly entertaining guide to the stygian depths of subterranean London in all its absurd, confusing glory. . . Offbeat anecdotes abound . . . a compact yet comprehensive study" - Observer

"No mere tube-spotter's manual, this is an elegantly written and witty history of London itself as well as its tube system, enriched by lierary referenecs and quotations" - Sunday Telegraph Seven