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New York Subway great map with concise overview
New York subway A very good on-line map
New York subway: more very detailed maps of the whole system

BOOKS

Tunneling to the Future: The Story of the Great Subway Expansion That Saved New York by Peter Derrick
Reviewer: D. Leslie Winter (see more about me) from New York City No other historian has identified so important a piece of NYC's history on which so little is known, and written so lucidly about it. This is not just enjoyable history. You cannot understand New York City today without reading Derrick's book.
The greatest city of the modern era had its pivotal moment early in the 20th century with the decision in 1913 to double the size of its subway system: the largest public-works expenditure in the Western Hemisphere to that date. This decision, a dozen years and more in the making and led by Manhattan Borough President George McAneny, was propelled by the inability to resolve the problems of disease, crime, prosititution, overpopulation and poverty that overwhelmed Manhattan's Lower East Side, spilling into more affluent neighborhoods throughout the city. Getting employees out of impoverishment and to their jobs was now an impediment to development and modernization. The vision that turned farm lands into an urban center was a leap into the unknown and Derrick meticulously details this exciting chapter in NYC's history, a chapter that when fully understood, reveals how issues get resolved and great accomplishments propelled. In comparison, the highway system of the Robert Moses era was but an anxilary event.
 Poetry in Motion : 100 Poems from the Subways and Buses by Molly Peacock (Editor), Elise Paschen (Editor), Neil Neches (Editor)

Subway Ceramics, Lee Stookey, 1992 Lee Stookey. Many of the intricate, detailed terra cotta work in NYC subways from the early 1900s rendered in gorgeous color.

722 Miles: The Building Of The Subways And How They Transformed New York, Clifton Hood, 1992 Johns Hopkins University Press. The early days of the NYC subway system.

Under The Sidewalks Of New York, Brian Cudahy, 1988 Stephen Greene Press. A detailed history of the subways with hundreds of fascinating pictures.
Reviewer from Toronto, Canada This book contains loads of captivating info on that giant web that is the NY subway. Brian Cudahy seems to have a thorough knowledge of transit affairs, and of NY (he grew up in Brooklyn). This is not his first book on the subject, and he treats it with a personal touch that makes it very captivating to anybody, not just New Yorkers. This book is a treasure of little-known facts, peculiarities and anecdotes. I had a lot of fun reading it along with a map of today's network, to see how it evolved (and sometimes "devolved"). Very lively, with some classic NY politics, some catastrophies (including the departure of the Dodgers), and descriptions of how the subway helped make NY what it is today. Under the Sidewalks of NY made me go to bed late the way The Godfather did! I would recommend this book not only to every New Yorker, but also to anybody interested in NY and/or urban transit.

Grand Central Terminal : Railroads, Engineering, and Architecture in New York City by Kurt C. Schlichting
From Publishers Weekly  Grand Central Terminal, a shrine to beaux arts exuberance and railway age optimism, remains one of the most dramatic symbols of New York City. In Grand Central Terminal: Railroads, Engineering and Architecture in New York City, Kurt C. Schlichting tells its story, from its arduous 10-year construction (more than three  million cubic yards of rock and earth had to be moved) and final completion in 1913, to its late 20th-century decline and 1990s restoration. Drawing on extensive archival research, Schlichting is an attentive observer of the personalities, engineering, politics and scandals surrounding his subject. Though the quantity of detail might be daunting to some nonhistorians, this volume should appeal to urban history fans and those with an avid interest in New York City and its icons.