A new book from History Professor Graham Russell Hodges,"Taxi!" is hailed by the Wall Street Journal as "the best account oftaximen that is ever to be written." [ Photo:amazon.com]

More on "Voices from Other Lands"

Whether it's Beijing, London or New York, taxicab drivers represent the voice of the common man.

And they are the topic of a new book by Graham Russell Hodges, Professor of History at Colgate University and Fulbright Professor at Peking University.

"Taxi!: A Social History of the New York City Cabdriver" is the first full-length account of New York hacks and is hailed by the Wall Street Journal as "the best account of taximen that is ever to be written." Hodges begins with horse-drawn carriages in mid-nineteenth century New York City and covers all the way to the present day bid for the 600,000 USD medallion. So on today's program, I caught up with Professor Hodges to talk about his own experience driving cabs during his university days and about the similarities between New York and Beijing cabdrivers.

"Taxi!" is available for purchase at www.amazon.com.