Altaplana, world of Francois Schuiten and Benoit Peeters

the impossible & infinite encyclopedia of the world created by Schuiten & Peeters

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Monde à grande vitesse (Le)

Le Monde à grande vitesse (High-Speed World) is a book by Marie-Pascale Rauzier and François Schuiten. It invites us to discover the formidable human, industrial and technological saga that is the rail adventure of the 21st century.

With each turn of the page, the reader lives the journey along high-speed rail lines across all continents, and experiences the challenges involved in the conception, design, and construction of these extraordinary infrastructures.

This fine book clearly unveils the benefits and effects of these high- speed trains, and the new perspectives they create. 21 existing rail lines throughout the world are thus narrated and illustrated, inviting the reader to discover their specificities, extraordinary routes, cities and inhabitants, as well as their impact upon the population and sociology of cities, the evolution of design, and technical prowess.

“Storyboards” by sketch artist, scenographer and rail enthusiast François Shuiten are featured throughout the book, underscoring the unique quality of high-speed travel and introducing an incomparably aesthetic dimension.

The book is published by Langages du Sud on October 18, 2019 in a French (ISBN 978-9954695524) and an English (ISBN 978-9954695517) edition.

Some images of the original drawings.

See also