BOOKS
New York's Secret Subway: The Underground Genius of Alfred Beach and the Origins of Mass Transit
In the 19th century, Manhattan's streets were so choked with pedestrians, horses, vehicles, and vendors that a trip from City Hall to Central Park could take hours. Alfred Beach had the perfect solution: build a giant pneumatic tube underneath Broadway. Air pressure would shoot passengers up and down the island in clean, quiet carriages.​​
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But Beach was up against the operators of the horse-drawn streetcars and the politicians in their pay, especially the notorious William "Boss" Tweed.
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Release Date: October 2025
When Harry Met Pablo: Truman, Picasso, and the Cold War Politics of Modern Art
Last Team Standing: How the Steelers and the Eagles—"The Steagles"—Saved Pro Football...
Pedestrianism: When Watching People Walk Was America's
Favorite Spectator Sport
BIO
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Matthew Algeo writes about interesting stuff.
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Or, as his mom liked to say, Matthew is an award-winning journalist and author.
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His next book, New York's Secret Subway: The Underground Genius of Alfred Beach and the Origins of Mass Transit, will be released in October 2025.
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He is the author of seven other books, including Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip, which was named one of the best books of 2009 by the Washington Post.
In addition to reporting and writing, Matthew has held jobs as a convenience store clerk, a gas station attendant, a Halloween costume salesman, and a proofreader. He also worked in a traveling circus (as a hot dog vendor; no acrobatics involved).
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Matthew holds a degree in folklore from the University of Pennsylvania.
His wife, Allyson, is a United States Foreign Service officer. They have lived in Bamako, Rome, Ulan Bator, Maputo, and Sarajevo. They currently live in Botswana with their twelve-year-old daughter Zaya.