Bicycle

The History

Herlihy David V.

This lively and lavishly illustrated book tells the extraordinary history of the bicycle, an invention that precipitated nothing short of a social revolution. Recounting a story replete with disputed patents, brilliant inventions, and missed opportunities, David Herlihy shows us why the bicycle captured the public's imagination and the myriad ways it has reshaped our world.

About the Author

David V. Herlihy is a historian and freelance writer. His work has been featured on National Public Radio and Voice of America and in the "New York Times", the "Boston Globe", "Boston Magazine", and "Historic Preservation". In 1999 Herlihy received the McNair History Award from the Wheelmen, the preeminent American association of antique bicycle collectors.

Reviews

"Herlihy has an imaginative line in social commentary – he credits bikes for a drop in insanity caused by rural inbreeding – but the real appeal of his book is the pictures, copious and colourful, many of them turn of the century ads featuring naked women whizzing along happily, handlebar in one hand, glass of wine in the other" – Evening Standard

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