"[ An] engrossing chronicle... an immersive view of 1860s New York as a hotbed of innovation and corruption." * Publishers Weekly * "Alfred Ely Beach's pneumatic subway was a dead-end in the history of subway technology, but it is a delightful and revealing episode in American history, and Matthew Algeo's deeply researched book lucidly sets Beach and his project in context. The secret, unauthorized tunnel was both a feat of cutting-edge engineering and a poke in the eye of New York's brazenly corrupt political establishment. In telling Beach's story, Algeo leads us on a colorful tour of the political and religious tensions of late nineteenth century New York. At the core is the tale of one remarkable visionary who, before the age of specialization, excelled simultaneously as a magazine and newspaper publisher, inventor, science, advocate, and promoter."---John E. Morris, author of 'Subway: The Curiosities, Secrets, and Unofficial History of the New York City Transit System' "In New York's Secret Subway, Matthew Algeo reveals a fascinating and intriguing piece of history hidden right beneath every New Yorkers feet. Featuring larger-than-life characters, ambitious engineering, and the kind of smoke-filled-room political corruption that still accompanies modern transportation projects, this is a book every city lover, transit fan, and history buff ought to read."---Doug Gordon, co-host of 'The War on Cars' podcast and co-author of 'Life After Cars' "New Yorks Secret Subway paints a vivid portrait of the inventive New Yorkers who came up with engineering ideas that have stood the test of time (and some very interesting ideas that havent!), and the Boss Tweed-era political operators who resisted transit innovations that are still with us. The competing visions of what a city should be, and how we travel around it, resonate today."---Ray Delahanty, creator of CityNerd "Decades before the subway as we know it, New York City had the Beach Pneumatic Railway an improbable Victorian hyperloop. Below Lower Manhattan, Beachs railway used compressed air to propel a cylindrical passenger car along a track through a subterranean tube. To tell the story of Alfred Beachs daring project and its untimely demise, Matthew Algeo weaves an engineering adventure that intertwines experimental technology, business strategy, and power politics. New Yorks Secret Subway is a revealing work of untold engineering history. It is also an instructive parable for our own age of mobility innovation, promotional hype, and venture capitalism."---Peter Norton, Associate Professor of History, Department of Engineering and Society, University of Virginia and author of 'Fighting Traffic' and 'Autonorama'
