The Cyclist's Anthology

Nicky Slade has worked in publishing since graduating with a degree in English and Linguistics. She particularly enjoys cycling with her husband and sons in the beautiful South Downs National Park around her home in West Sussex, UK.

INTRODUCTION 1: LEARNING TO RIDE The Nothing of the Day, 1819 ~ John Keats 9A Curious Invention, 1819 ~ Ackerman's Repository 9On Learning to Dismount, 1893 ~ Mark Twain 11A Wobbling Will vs A Wobbling Wheel, 1895 ~ Frances Willard 15Education of the Nerves, 1896 ~ Munsey's Magazine 18Mulga Bill's Bicycle, 1896 ~ A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson 20The Bruises Tell the Story, 1896 ~ H.G. Wells 22Boy Scouts on Bicycles, 1918 ~ D.G. Dollery 25Learn to Ankle Your BSA Bicycle, 1945 ~ BSA Bicycles Ltd 26Goodnight, Mister Tom, 1945 ~ Michelle Magorian 27Cycling is Grand Fun, 1959 ~ Andrew Crawford 29Call the Midwife, 1950s ~ Jennifer Worth 31Riding a Bike, 2009 ~ Ronald Chapman 33 2: CYCLING FOR ALL The Costume of Women, 1895 ~ Frances Willard 35On Cycling in Corsets, 1896 ~ Munsey's Magazine 36Sherlock Holmes & the Solitary Cyclist, 1903 ~ Arthur Conan Doyle 39Perfect in Every Part, 1920 ~ BSA Bicycles 41Keeping Up Appearances, 1930 ~ Somerset Maugham 42Billy Bunter Stops the Cycling Thief, 1933 ~ Frank Richards 44Myfanwy, 1940 ~ John Betjeman 47Schwinn - For the Ride of a Lifetime, 1941 ~ Arnold, Schwinn & Co 48Soldiers Need Bicycles, 1944 ~ BSA Bicycles Ltd 50The Patriotic Duty of All Cyclists, 1944 ~ John Bull Rubber Co 50 3: CYCLE-TOURING A New Enigma, 1787 ~ 'Observator' 52A Very Trying Road, 1874 ~ Text Book for Riders 53The Right Accessories, 1882 ~ James Sturmey 53Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two), 1892 ~ Harry Dacre 54No Pain, No Gain, 1898 ~ Elizabeth Robins Pennell 56Ingenious Solutions to Unexpected Problems, 1899 ~ George Foster 59Spinning Along in Splendid Fashion, 1900 ~ R.H. Morton 65One Candle Power, 1901 ~ Marcus Tindal 67Tandem Trouble, 1914 ~ Jerome K. Jerome 68Europe en velo, 1929 ~ Jean Bell 71On Being a Goddam Nut-Case, 1963 ~ Dervla Murphy 75The Towpath Less Travelled, 1987 ~ Eric Newby 77'What this bike needs is...', 1987 ~ Quentin Blake 79Maybe Alone on my Bike, 1975 ~ William Stafford 80Riding Every Inch of the Way, 2010 ~ Stephen Lord & Chris Scott 80A Bike Ride Through the Countryside ~ Elizabeth Shield 82What-Ifs in Myanmar, 2014 ~ Stephen Fabes 84 4: THE SPORT OF CYCLING An Early Cycling Record, 1871 87Racing With Style, 1890 ~ Hewitt Griffin 89La France Sportive, 1926 ~ Ernest Hemingway 89Steel Grandpa, 1951 ~ Sports Illustrated 91Bradley Wiggins - A hunger within, 2012 ~ Bradley Wiggins 95 5: WORKING BIKES British Army Regulations for the Training of Cyclists, 1911 ~ HMSO 98The Cyclists of the Signal Corps, 1915 ~ Sir John French 98Reconstructing the Crime, 1931 ~ Dorothy L. Sayers 101Tradesman's Carry-All Carrier, 1936 ~ Three Spires 104An Ode to Bicycles, 1956 ~ Pablo Neruda 105The Cycle Courier's Instinct, 2015 ~ Jon Day 107 6: CITY CYCLING The Fittest Use of the Bicycle, 1870 ~ Charles Spencer 109Dangerous Wide Spaces, 1897 ~ Mrs F. Harcourt Williamson 110London Through the Eyes of a Poet, 1914 ~ Edward Thomas 111A Passage to India, 1924 ~ E.M. Forster 119Spring Morning Commute, 2014 ~ Rick Brown 121Tackling Delhi, 2013 ~ Hugh Bergin 123 7: EXTREME CYCLING On the Wheels of Love, 1882 ~ H.J. Swindley 124The Bicycle as Spirit-Level, 1893 ~ Mark Twain 126Over the Gobi Desert, 1894 ~ Thomas Gaskell Allen, Jr & William Lewis Sachtleben 126On Being Hurled Through Space (Euclidian), 1895 ~ George Bernard Shaw 131All Pace and Fizzle, 1896 ~ H.G. Wells 132Taking a Header, 1898 ~ Elizabeth Robins Pennell 134A Cycle Tour in Kashmir, 1900 ~ R.H. Morton 135Self Protection on a Cycle, 1901 ~ Marcus Tindal 136Sherlock Holmes Reads the Tyre Tracks, 1904 ~ Arthur Conan Doyle 137The Hunt for the Right Saddle, 1914 ~ Jerome K. Jerome 140William the Determined, 1922 ~ Richmal Crompton 141Numerous Ups and Downs, 1922 ~ Ward Lock Red Guide 148A Reckless Ride, 1936 ~ D.H. Lawrence 149Empire of the Sun, 1941 ~ J.G. Ballard 153A Wounded Passenger, 1944 ~ Shirley Hughes 154 BIBLIOGRAPHY 157 INDEX 160