The Emergence of Bicycling and Automobility in Britain

Reviews / Votes

Craig Horner's treatise on the early days of cycling and motoring in Britain takes a scholarly yet entertaining look at the changing attitudes to the new mobility and its gradual diffusion down through the clearly defined social strata of pre-Great War England. Key figures in this scenario highlighted in the text were Selwyn Francis Edge and his secretary Dorothy Levitt, who did much to popularise motoring among a wider audience. The ample list of references consulted invites further reading. * David Burgess-Wise, Society of Automotive Historians in Britain, UK. * Craig Horner's absorbing analysis brings home just how much of the cultural landscape of modern British automobility was established as early as 1910. Out were the niche enthusiasts' toys driven by the 1890s posh, in were the slightly boring branded cars affordable by the consumer of 'moderate means' - the advance guard of mass motoring. Only by understanding the enormity of this century-old cultural achievement can we dream of inspiring tomorrow's motorist to spend less time behind the wheel * Colin Divall, Professor Emeritus, University of York, UK. * This is no dry tome. It is suffused with entertainment, and the author knows how to hold the attention of his reader... the strength of this book is the proficiency Horner demonstrates in weaving myriad sources into a coherent picture of those exciting early days [of automobility]. * The Automobile *