Soviet Metro Stations

An excellent photographic summary of 'hidden' communist architecture. Inspiring examples of how many times a wheel can be reinvented - the 'wheel' being a platform with 2 adjacent railway lines. An ultimate visual tribute to some great designers and the skill of The Workers. Perhaps a bigger format would have been a better feast for the eye but then, a smaller audience would appreciate these gems.

This is an awesome coffee table book. Excellent follow up to the acclaimed bus shelters book that got “borrowed” by my light fingered friend.

There are some beautifully stunning pictures in here. It’s a fantastic coffee table book.

Rich book for everyone interested in architecture

Very good for its price. Good and numerous photos and a bit of text in the concise but helpful introduction articles. Most informative, and a good overview of the system and this unique conception of public architecture, most important for the regime, which wanted the public to see these stations as we see cathedrals and churches. It displays stations in many cities across the ex USSR (everyone knows about the Moscow Metro, but not so about the Tashkent and Erevan one), and a good representation of the various periods and styles of construction (although personally, I would have preferred to have more examples of the grand neo-baroque older ones in central Moscow). The A5 landscape format helps for these views, and does the job, although, in some few cases, an A4 landscape would have allowed do see details better (but A5 is the chosen format of the collection so they could not change it for this). The quality of the photos is good and the colour and lighting thereof captures the unique atmosphere very well, as these metro stations were often lit in a very dramatic and impressive way. The only caveat I might have is that these stations were very often built, due to the regime's constant and purposefully fuelled obsession about an attack from the West, as nuclear shelters, and therefore were dug at really impressive depths, which one notices immediately, as one goes down to the platforms, by the strikingly long escalator shafts: this aspect could have been treated, and a few photos of these most impressive escalators, sometimes also well decorated, would have given an idea of this aspect. Sadly, this is missing. Well worth it at current price.

I mainly like the idea and with absolute amazement that Russia granted permission for their underground platforms to get photographed at all. Still, it is a privilege to see them in whatever form. All made in earlier times so with no frills.

Excellent book - fantastic pictures

Great photos!

Comprei de presente para o meu pai que adorou o livro. Apesar do tamanho um pouco menor do que eu gostaria para um libro de fotos, a qualidade das imagens, encadernação e capas é muito boa. O livro apresenta fotos e informações sobre estacões de metrô na Russia e um pouco da história.

Un ottimo esempio di architettura nelle ex repubbliche sovietiche. Un viaggio alla scoperta delle metropolitane ( e non solo di quella moscovita ), un libro fotografico pensato per chi magari si è avvicinato a questa forma d'arte spinto dalla letteratura o dai videogiochi della serie di Metro 2033 oppure per chi è semplicemente interessato all'architettura sovietica.

Nice book.

NUNCA ME LLEGO EL PAQUETE

This book is an amazing photo book covering the most important Metro systems in cities of the old USSR. It is accompanied by several essays on each of the cities and the construction, architectural style and highlights of its Metro system. The photos are beautifully shot and will surely transport you there. If you love the aesthetic of old metro stations, or soviet architecture, this book is perfect for you.