The Miss Subways phenomenon was very important to the people of Manhattan, and has lived happily in the memory of many New Yorkers who lived in that time. The following books were inspired by the pageant.
By Amy Zimmer, with Fiona Gardner and Kathy Peiss
Sponsored by the New York Foundation on the Arts, Meet Miss Subways is an artistic, delightful voyeuristic and even historically important look at the famous subway advertising program. Each month for thirty-five years, a young woman was selected as “Miss Subways” and her picture and brief biography appeared in thousands of subways and busses. She became an instant celebrity! The author and photographer have tracked down forty Miss Subways (many of whom aspired to careers in show business or modeling) and the women tell their life story and open their treasure trove of memorabilia, from come-hither publicity stills, to innocent cheesecake, to sophisticated modeling photos. Part history, part high art and low camp, Meet Miss Subways is an absorbing read and visual treat.
By Susie Orman Schnall
From the author of The Balance Project comes a dual-timeline narrative featuring a 1949 Miss Subways contestant and a modern-day advertising executive whose careers and lives intersect.