San Francisco's Municipal Railway:: Muni

I was anxious to get this new book but when I looked at the pictures I was disappointed. It was a lot of rehashed stuff I have seen before. The pictures all seemed second class like they were rejected as being mundane from a better book. I have seen many, many pictures far better just on line that I downloaded so it could have been a far better production. The picture on the cover made you think there was a lot better material inside.

Having grown up in the Sunset District, this book brought back many memories.

Great book even if your not a rail fan - good S.F. history - nice bigger size book than the average. Great price as well. Pictures are crisp reproductions.

i love it

For years, Arcadia Publishing's Images of Rail series has been helping rescue photographs that might, otherwise, be lost to future generations.Historically, most of the Images of Rail series have appeared in a 6x9 format in the $20 list price range--i.e., originally $19.95, later, $21.95 (before retailer discounts). I consider this a relatively low price for 128-page books containing hundreds of photographs.In 2006, with the publication of their excellent  Northwestern Pacific Railroad (Images of Rail) ,Arcadia upgraded the Images of Rail series to include a new, premium, horizontal, format with an increased page count and a $26.99 price point.For a few dollars more, the larger, 8.9 by 9.6 inch horizontal format provided opportunities for larger photographs,informative chapter introductions, and extended captions.Which brings us to San Francisco's Municipal Railway: Muni.San Francisco's Municipal Railway: Muni, the latest addition to Arcadia's premium format Images of Rail series, is an excellent value for fans of urban transportation, railfans, and those who simply like looking at well-reproduced photographs of downtown San Francisco throughout the 20th century.The photographs, often extremely sharp glass plate negatives, are sharp and details, not always artistic (from an Ansel Adams perspective), but fine from a journalistic, or documentary, point of view. The role that Muni played in San Francisco's history, (or the role that natural events and traffic congestion played in Muni's history) comes through very clearly.The photographs, often from extremely sharp glass plate negatives, are sharp and details. They may not always be artistic (from an Ansel Adams perspective), but they are fine from a journalistic, or documentary, point of view--and many are exceptionally sharp. They document the role that Muni played in San Francisco's history, (or the role that natural events and a changing world played in Muni's history). Many reflect an un-posed, you-are-there perspective showing Muni, showing everyday people, and everday situations (including work-in-progress on Muni line extensions).Other photo books treating the same topic cost over $100, used. I was privileged to receive an early copy of Muni; I liked it then and continue to like it. Without high-value books like this, available in the $20 price range, thousands of photographs of everyday life in America would be lost.For perspective, as readers of Trains Magazine or Railfan & Railroad know, the price for most railroad photo books continues to escalate; most are now in the $50 to $70 range.

On this day, one hundred years ago, the San Francisco Municipal Railway or Muni's streetcars began service and began what would be considered a bold experiment, city ownership of the means of transportation. What began as the 1st city owned street railway system in the United States, is today the seventh largest transit system in the nation. If you are interested in the first decade of Muni's service, the first few chapters of this book have tons of photographs and descriptions about the first years including the opening day on December, 28, 1912 to the opening of the Panama Pacific Exposition as well as a rare photo of an automobile tour of the Twin Peaks Tunnel.

This is a superb book in every aspect, especially considering the limitations of the Arcadia Publishing format (even for their oversized books, such as this one). The photographs were carefully selected from among several archives to tell the comprehensive story of a century of service by America's first publicly owned transit system. Many of them have never been published before, so be skeptical of anyone who suggests they've seen all the pictures before. It certainly does contain the most iconic Muni images of the last 100 years as well it should: it's not an exercise in arcana, it's a timeline of a century, presented concisely and cogently, with captions that provide helpful context and place the transit system in the larger perspective of one of America's great cities. San Franciscans who aren't transit fans will find this book fascinating. Transit fans who aren't San Franciscans will to.

Review by Bruce Battles"The Muni book is just wonderful! I couldn't put it down--it's everything I thought it would be and then some."The early history of S.F. and how the Muni came into being was really fascinating... . The best thing about the book is that it's balanced--nothing takes up too much time or pages--it `moves right along.'"It's all the highlights of what the Muni was and is, presented honestly and fairly and quickly. There's only a handful of photos I've seen before, and they're in their right context."I think you could say--it's the `definitive work' on the Muni Railway. It's the kind of book that is so good, you could give it to someone that's never been to San Francisco, and he would still enjoy it! ..."Nice book--I love it."