As someone with absolutely no interest in maps , graphic design or the London Underground i shouldn't care a jot about this book or who the heck Harry Beck was . WRONG ! I picked it up while browsing in a bookshop and was instantly enthralled and plunged into Harry's world (and indeed obsession ) . It really is a marvelous and fascinating read and i was hooked from beginning to end ( you end up caring about trivial , tiny alterations to the design ! ). If you had told me 3 days ago i would care about diagonal or vertical lines for a railway map i'd have laughed in your face , what a tribute to the author of this book and HC Beck that i loved it from start to finish .