These are the last of the vintage and vintage-related cycling books. Prices do not include shipping. My thanks again to everyone who has bought stuff from me over the last month or so, and I wish I had more vintage goodies to offer you!
1. James Wagenvoord, Bikes and Riders, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1972, 157 pp. An interesting bike boom book, lots of pix of 19th Century bikes and a chapter on the U.S. Army's first test of cycle-mounted mobile infantry, but what makes this CR worthy is the section labeled "the Racers," which as many photos of members of the MCA (Metro Cycling Association), at least one photo of riders in Chesapeake Wheelmen colors, some coverage of Kissena velodrome, and some accounts of a road race and a criterium. Hardcover, dustjacket has a torn section on the back and is protected by a Brodart library-style plastic cover, generally very good to excellent, $10.
2. Roger St. Pierre, The Book of the Bicycle, Triune Books, 1973, 110 pp. Another bike boom special, but with a strong U.K. angle, photo-wise. Front endpapers are closeups of Hetchins lugs, back endpapers are of a British cycle-jumble sure to set Anglophile's mouths to watering. Lots of photos, some in color, really very good condition with nice dustjacket, $7.
3. R. John Way, The Bicycle, a guide and manual, 1973, Hamlyn, 96 pp. Another bike boom book, but this one features many really lovely line drawings by the author. Really, think of an English Daniel Rebour, and you'll get the feel of his drawings. Lots of photos, many in color, a very U.K. oriented book, very good condition except for a the corners being cropped on the first two end pages before the title page, good dustjacket, $7.
4. R. John Way, The Complete Cyclist, Well Gardner Darton & Co, 1952, 119 pp. Rarely encountered in the U.S., this lovely little manual focuses on wisely choosing components and how to successfully use them. Line drawings abound, including pix of Hetchins curly-stays, a Galibier, Oscgears, assorted Bayliss-Wiley units, etc. Good to very good condition, with a faded dustjacket with somewhat tattered corners, BONUS Lucas fitting instruction sheet for Lucas King Major, King Minor and King Sports cycle dynamo lighting sets. $30.
5. The Best of Bicycling!, edited by Harley M. Leete, Trident Press, 1970, 415 pp. Seventy nine articles from the old Bicycling!, back when the exclamation point was there and meant something, dammit. Authors featured heavily include Clifford L. Graves, Dan Henry, Fred DeLong, E. Peter Hoffman, and (especially) our own much-missed Dave Staub. Lots of b/w photos, a genuine treasure of older U.S. cycling writing. I think this is a first edition, in very good condition with a tired, soiled dust jacket, $15.
6. Eric Jorgensen and Joe Bergman, Fix Your Bicycle, Clymer Publications, c.1972, 3rd printing 1973, 117 pp. More bike boom era goodies, a repair manual featuring basic bike boom era machines in photos and line drawings. Cheesy fun for the completist, a great addition to your collection of vintage repair guides, paperback fun for $5.
7. Tom Cuthbertson, Anybody's Bike Book AND Bike Tripping, the books that made Ten Speed Press. 1971 and 1972, respectively. If you were around then, you remember these fun books as the general introduction to actually fixing your bike and going out and having a good time on it. If you weren't born then, yet, and haven't read them, they're great for capturing the feel of a lovely, laid-back, sometimes impish view of cycling that I kinda miss these days. These are beat-up copies, but all together and still quite readable. Bike Tripping features a lengthy article on frames by Al Eisentraut. Rick Morrall's illustrations are fun and funky, and it's the sort of book that ticked me off back when when I was waaaaay too serious, and now they make me smile. $5 for the pair, and enjoy!
8. Richard Ballantine, Richard's Bicycle Book, revised ed., Ballantine Books, 1974. Paperback, beat, loose title page, but worth it because this (with the Cuthbertson books above and Eugene Sloane's book) was one of the most-read bike books out there. I had a copy, all of my buddies had copies - it was cheap, it was pretty good for the day, and it featured many illustrations lifted neatly from the old Viscount Bury Badminton Press Cycling book from c. 1885-1893. Another one for older guys to remember and younger folks to read to better understand American cycling in the early 70s. $3, or buy it with the Cutherbertson books above for a grand total of $7. Wotta bargain.
9. James Arnold, The Joyous Wheel, Hamish Hamilton, 1940. A glorious, strange, wonderful book about the joys of local and regional rides in Britain before WWII. According to Wikipedia, Arnold was a commercial artist; his block print illustrations for The Joyous Wheel are certainly lovely enough to support that. There don't appear to be many copies of this book out there, but how many could have been printed in the dark days of Britain in 1940, anyway? $65.
10. Ronald English, Cycling for You, Lutterworth Press, London, 1966, c.1964. Another general cycling manual, some line drawings, some action photos including some pix of riders competing in a CTC touring competition. Hardcover, nice dustjacket, $20.
11. The Official Tour de France; Centennial 1903-2003, Wiedenfeld & Nicholson, lavishly illustrated, features many photos as well as translated reprints of contemporary commentary and articles. Good, clean copy, $10.
12. Philippe Brunel, An Intimate Portrait of the Tour de France, Buonpane, 1996. Some stories, lots of great photos, you know you want it, no dustjacket, otherwise nice and solid and clean, some funky scratched area on the bottom of the back cover, $20.
13. Frank Rowland Whitt and David Gordon Wilson, Bicycling Science, 2nd ed., MIT press, 1982, 384 pp. The 3rd edition came out in 2004, which would be off-topic. This could be useful for historical points as far as having the latest scientific information about bikes as it was known near the end of the classic era. Also, kinda fun. $3.
14. Proceedings of the seminar of the bicycle pedestrian planning and design, Metropolitan Association of Urban Designers and Environmental Planners, American Society of Civil Engineers, 1974. Period literature on cycling infrastructure and contemporary thinking about the same. Good historical stuff here, $5.
Thanks again,
Russ Fitzgerald
Greenwood SC USA