Quest for Speed now reduced in price to $35.00
Quest for Speed
Quest for Speed – A History of Early Bicycle Racing – by Andrew Ritchie
Quest for Speed, by Andrew Ritchie, provides, for the first time, a comprehensive social and technological history of the development of bicycle racing and bicycle technology between 1867 and 1903, in Britain, France and the United States. It follows the earliest “velocipedes” into the period of the classic high-wheel bicycle, and then into the “boom” era of the safety bicycle and the pneumatic tire of the mid-1890s and the rise of modern road and track racing. It also explores cycling as recreational riding. It argues that there was a symbiotic relationship between the growth of the sport and the growth of the industry – each needed the other.
Crammed full of documents, technical information, details of the formation of clubs and national and international governing bodies, the origins of national and world championships, insights into the role of the press, and biographies of bicycle racers and the most significant personalities from the sport, industry and press, Quest for Speed is essential reading for anyone who seeks to understand the foundations of modern cycling in the late 19th century, and the development of the sport.
Quest for Speed is almost 500 pages long, and contains nearly 200 photographs and illustrations illuminating the social history of the period. It has many detailed source Notes, a Bibliography and an Index. It is a worthy successor to Ritchie’s previous book – King of the Road.
[For more information about the book, please see my post here entitled “Quest for Speed – Abstract – Table of Contents]
Ordering information
Quest for Speed is $35.00 + $4.95 shipping = $39.95 in the USA. Please post a query here on the blog, or email me at jabritchie@hotmail.com. I will accept checks, and you can also send me money by Paypal.
In the U.K. it is £30 + £6.00 = £36.00, available from the Veteran-Cycle Club Sales Officer: Bibi Bugg. Email: bibibugg@uk2.net. Please contact her for more information.
In the rest of Europe, and elsewhere, please contact me for shipping/mailing costs.
Special offer: if you order both Quest for Speed and Major Taylor [see below], the price is reduced to $75.00 and the shipping is free within the USA. For shipping both books elsewhere, please send a query about shipping/mailing costs.
Also available:
Major Taylor, The Fastest Bicycle Rider in the
World,
by Andrew Ritchie
Major Taylor -The Fastest Bicycle Rider in the World is published by Van der Plas Publications. It is a new, updated and expanded edition of Andrew Ritchie’s biography, first published in 1988. It is recognized as the definitive historical account of this outstanding pioneer African-American athlete.
Major Taylor is the revealing story of an until recently neglected national and world champion cycling star. It brings to life the dramatic story of Major Taylor’s struggle to overcome racism in the United States and his extraordinary rise to global stardom in Europe and Australia. In 1899, he was world sprint champion in Montreal, Canada. For several seasons in France, Major Taylor earned honors, riches and fame as one of cycling’s most recognizable personalities.
The new Major Taylor is published in a large format edition [8½ x 11] and contains 112 photographs.
Ordering information:
Major Taylor is $39.95 + $5.00 shipping = $44.95 in the USA. Please post a query here on the blog, or email me at jabritchie@hotmail.com. I will accept checks, and you can also send me money by Paypal. For orders in the U.K., Europe or elsewhere, please send me a query about shipping/mailing costs.
Special offer: if you order both Quest for Speed and Major Taylor, the price is reduced to $75.00 and the shipping is free within the USA. For shipping both books elsewhere, please send a query about shipping/mailing costs.
Andrew Ritchie's Blog 
Leave a Reply