The Mechanical Horse: How the Bicycle Reshaped American LifeUniversity of Texas Press, 2016/04/05 - 296 ページ “Guroff has broken new ground with this masterful account of the bicycle revolution set in the broad context of American social and cultural history.” —Tom Crouch, author of The Bishop’s Boys With cities across the country adding miles of bike lanes and building bike-share stations, bicycling is enjoying a new surge of popularity in America. It seems that every generation or two, Americans rediscover the freedom of movement, convenience, and relative affordability of the bicycle. The earliest two-wheeler, the draisine, arrived in Philadelphia in 1819 and astonished onlookers with the possibility of propelling themselves “like lightning.” Two centuries later, the bicycle is still the fastest way to cover ground on gridlocked city streets. Filled with lively stories, The Mechanical Horse reveals how the bicycle transformed American life. As bicycling caught on in the nineteenth century, many of the country’s rough, rutted roads were paved for the first time, laying a foundation for the interstate highway system. Cyclists were among the first to see the possibilities of self-directed, long-distance travel, and some of them (including a fellow named Henry Ford) went on to develop the automobile. Women shed their cumbersome Victorian dresses—as well as their restricted gender roles—so they could ride. And doctors recognized that aerobic exercise actually benefits the body, which helped to modernize medicine. Margaret Guroff demonstrates that the bicycle’s story is really the story of a more mobile America—one in which physical mobility has opened wider horizons of thought and new opportunities for people in all avenues of life. “[A] fascinating volume . . . Like them or loathe them, cyclists are reprising their initial role as adapters of disruptive technology.” —The Wall Street Journal |
目次
1842 | |
Two The Need for Speed | 1857 |
Three The Wheel the Woman and the Human Body | 1872 |
Four Paving the Way for Cars | 1890 |
Five From Producers to Consumers | 1904 |
Seven The Cycles of | 1928 |
Eight The King of the Neighborhood | 1951 |
Nine The Great American Bicycle Boom | 1965 |
Ten Bike Messengers Tourists and Mountain Bikers | 1979 |
Eleven Are We There Yet? | 1987 |
Abbreviations | 11 |
Bibliography | |
他の版 - すべて表示
多く使われている語句
25th Infantry Bicycle accessed adults Advertising American Bicycle American Wheelmen Andrew Ritchie April Army August Bicycle Boom Bicycle in Wartime bicycle industry bicycle messengers bicycle's Bicyclists Bike Messengers Bikecentennial bikeshare Boston Boys British built cars Charles Willson Peale Chicago commuting Company Culture Cycling History Conference cyclists Daily December December 16 draisine early Elliott February Flying French Herlihy high-wheelers horses Ibid ICHC Infantry Bicycle Corps International Cycling History invented January Japanese Journal July June Kelly kids League of American machine magazine makers manufacturers March miles military Moss Mountain Bike National North Vietnam November October pedal velocipede pedestrians Plas Pope racer racing reported Retrieved riders riding roads rode safety bicycle San Francisco Schwinn September soldiers sport streets ten-speed Thousand Day War tires Transportation tricycle troops United University Press vehicle velocipede Vietminh Vietnam Washington Post wheel Wilbur Wright women World Wright Brothers wrote York