The secrets you never knew about your city

If you end up buying Kate Ascher’s excellent, handsome oversize book The Works and place it amid other, similarly sized coffee-table books in your living room, we’re betting, guests will zero in on it immediately.

The book gives a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the intricacies of New York City’s infrastructure — how electricity flows to millions of people; how traffic patterns develop and are managed; how gas, electricity, sewage, water, and subway tunnels all coexist peacefully deep underground; and even how air cargo and mail delivery work (usually effectively). Ascher also gives good historical context: how the city coped with its burgeoning population — it was doubling every decade or so in the 19th century — and continues to do so.

You don’t need to live in New York to appreciate The Works — it will give you an entirely fresh understanding and newfound respect for how your city or town operates.

The Works (Penguin Books; 228 pages; softcover)

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