Review - The 99% Invisible City

The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design

I received a free digital copy of this book via NetGalley for an honest review.

99% Invisible is consistently one of my favorite podcasts. Even when episodes are focused on topics that I know something about, I always learn something new--and more frequently, the episodes highlight things I've never considered in any depth or even never noticed at all.

The 99% Invisible City is partially a book version of the podcast--that is not to say that the book can be read in lieu of listening to the podcast, because it's far more an accompaniment than a replacement. It's a collection of short histories and stories about various aspects of the built environment (and more), and it's a lot of fun. It lacks something of the charm of the podcast, I think partly because the brevity of the histories (no more than a page or two for most) don't seem to have the depth of the stories usually covered on the podcast. But it's still very enjoyable, and it's a great format for reading bits of here-and-there even if you are not inclined to sit down and read it cover-to-cover.

The stories are arranged thematically, and are short and very readable. There's a lot of geographic breadth, too--and it's easy to learn something new even about your own (metaphorical) back yard. For example, even though I grew up fairly near Edward N. Hines Drive and Hines Park and was familiar with the name, it was not until reading this book that I learned that Edward N. Hines, as a member of the Wayne County Roads Commission, originated the now pretty much universal practice of painting lane markings on roads!

The book is intended to be read both by fans of the podcast and people who have never listened to it, though there are enough nods to the podcast that it may be marginally better to have listened to at least one episode. Still, it should be interesting and entertaining even to people who are not familiar with the podcast--and I suspect that many non-listeners who pick up the book may be inclined to give the show a listen, too.

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