A short list of items that may be of use to those interested in underground matters related to Montreal and elsewhere.

Publications

• The Works: Anatomy of a City - Kate Ascher, 2007
  Ever wonder how a city functions? Using NYC as an example, this book masterfully illustrates everything from sewers to subway tunnels to garbage collection.
• Montreal et L'eau (fr) - Michèle Dagenais, 2011
  A book detailing the history of Montreal's often less than ideal relationship with water management.
• Metropolis on the Styx: The Underworlds of Modern Urban Culture - David Pyke, 2007
  A dense and cohesive study of the underground in popular culture from the 1800s through to 2001.
• Questions D'egouts (fr) - Robert Gagnon, 2006
  A comprehensive overview involving the development of Montreal's sewers during the mid to late 1800s. Worth picking up if only for the maps and extensive bibliography.
• Plague: A Story of Smallpox in Montreal - Michael Bliss, 1991
  A look at the progression and politics behind the epidemics in Montreal that helped shape the city's sewer system in the 1800s.

Audio / Video

• L'or Brun (fr)
  A two-part Radio Canada documentary about sewage treatment issues in Quebec. Contains footage provide by Under Montreal.
• Under the City
  Forthcoming documentary about "The past, present, and future of the world's lost urban waterways." Featuring the sewers of Montreal, London and elsewhere.
• Thinking Differently About Public Spaces
  Under Montreal takes Spacing Radio listeners on a tour of the city's underground. Broadcast in November, 2009.

• Articles

  • The Rivers Beneath Our Feet
    A feature-length article published in the Montreal Gazette about the city's Lost Rivers and sewer systems. Includes several photographs and an interview with Under Montreal.
  • In Search of Our Urban Mythology
    Article from the Toronto Star following the arrest of myself and the author of vanishingpoint.ca. Offers a general overview of urban exploration and some of the reasons behind it.

  • Historical Texts

    • Colborne Avenue Tunnel Reconstruction Journal
      A hand-written journal from 1877-1878 with notes taken during the reconstruction of the Colborne (aka De Lorimier) collector sewer.
    • Proposed Drainage Works for the City of Montreal
      Transcription of a document from 1857 that effectively defined Montreal's first proper sewer system. Much of what's outlined here can still be found below the streets of Montreal over a century and a half later.

    • Websites

      • The Vanishing Point
        Author and photographer Michael Cook's engrossing website devoted to all things underground in Toronto, Niagara Falls and elsewhere around the world.
      • Sewer History
        The definitive collection of documents and imagery related to the history of sewers around the world.
      • Siologen's Journal
        No one else has explored more underground locations around the world than him. Prolific is too weak a word.
      • Sub-Urban
        Blessed with one of the world's most impressive sewer systems ever built, explorer and photographer Jon Doe's word and images make London's underground shine.
      • Urban Exploration Resource (UER)
        For better or worse, this is the website to head to for anyone interested in the phenomenon known as urban exploration. Includes regional forums devoted to photography and documentation of places around the world including Montreal.
      • Spacing Montreal
        The de-facto site for all things related to the urban environment of Montreal and its and public spaces.