The bicycle : towards a global history PDF
Preview The bicycle : towards a global history
THE BICYCLE – TOWARDS A GLOBAL HISTORY Also by Paul Smethurst THE POSTMODERN CHRONOTOPE: Reading Space and Time in Contemporary Fiction ASIAN CROSSINGS: Travel Writing on China, Japan and Southeast Asia (edited with Steve Clark) TRAVEL WRITING, FORM, AND EMPIRE (edited with Julia Kuehn) TRAVEL WRITING AND THE NATURAL WORLD, 1768–1840 NEW DIRECTIONS IN TRAVEL WRITING STUDIES (edited with Julia Kuehn) THE BICYCLE – TOWARDS A GLOBAL HISTORY PAUL SMETHURST © Paul Smethurst 2015 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2015 978-1-137-49949-3 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2015 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave is a global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-50530-2 ISBN 978-1-137-49951-6 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9781137499516 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. Typeset by MPS Limited, Chennai, India. To all for whom the bicycle means rediscovering lost realms of childhood, feeling intimate relations with the landscape and enjoying a lightness of being in all senses. This page intentionally left blank C O N T E N T S List of Figures ix Acknowledgements xii Introduction 1 1 Invention: The Technical Evolution of the Modern Bicycle 9 2 Mobility: The Practical and Cultural Impact of Bicycling in the West 67 3 Crossings: The Diffusion of Bicycle Culture across Asia and Africa 105 4 Trends and Trajectories: The Global Future of the Bicycle 141 Notes 156 Bibliography 179 Index 187 vii This page intentionally left blank L I S T O F F I G U R E S 1.1 Hobby horse (c. 1818) 16 Source: This model came from Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, and belonged to the 5th Duke of Marlborough (1766–1840). © Science and Society Picture Library 1.2 Michaux-type velocipede (1869) 17 Source: Science Museum, London. English-built boneshaker bicycle. © Science and Society Picture Library 1.3 Ariel bicycle (1870) 18 Source: Science Museum, London. Ariel model without pedals, tyres or saddle. © Science and Society Picture Library 1.4 Lawson’s ‘Bicyclette’ (1879) 19 Source: Science Museum, London. © Science and Society Picture Library 1.5 Kangaroo bicycle (1884) 20 Source: Science Museum London [incorrectly dated – c. 1878 and attributed to E. C. F. Otto and J. Wallis]. © Science and Society Picture Library 1.6 Rover ‘safety’ bicycle (1885) 21 Source: Science Museum, London. © Science and Society Picture Library 1.7 ‘Dandy Hobbies in full speed’, William Heath (1819) 26 Source: From satirical print by William Heath, ‘Modern Pegasus or Dandy Hobbies in full speed’, British Museum, London. © The British Museum Images ix
The list of books you might like
