The construction, from 1848 to 1868, of an expanded sewer system for the city of London may not seem a gripping subject to most people. Dobraszczyk (typography and graphic communication, University of Reading) however, guides the reader through a captivating journey of the social, political, engineering and philosophical aspects of the creation of an efficient way to get rid of a city's waste. Dobraszczyk is interested in the representations of the sewer from the detailed plans of the engineers to newspaper engravings to metaphorical representations in literature and religious tracts. He divides the study into three sections: planning, construction and architecture. Within these he deftly combines technical information with current historical theories on the analysis of the use of space and the hermeneutics of sewage. Dobraszczyk presents the London sewers in the context of Victorian mentalities. He makes them absolutely fascinating. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)