The London Bus and Tube Book

Produced to celebrate 60 years of public transport in London (the London Passenger Transport Board, later London Transport, was formed in 1933) this is a good dual-purpose book - useful for the school project on transport and a valuable source of information for the transport enthusiast.

London Transport's history and development, its current provision and role in London life are the central themes; there are also useful asides on design and advertising. The style is lively and presentation bright but page layout is sometimes confusing (although this is a minor disadvantage where information consists of brief snippets which can be readily understood in isolation).

The book's appeal to the enthusiast lies mainly in its wealth of fascinating detail. Did you know that teams of 'fluffers' clean the tube by hand at night, and that an aircraft factory was located in the tunnels during World War II?